The Kano State Fire Service says fire has razed six houses used as blocks of shops at the Babban Layi plastic shops section of Kofar Wambai Market in Kano State.
Alhaji Sani Anas, the Director of the Kano State Fire Service, disclosed this in a statement signed by the service’s Public Relations Officer, Saminu Abdullahi, on Saturday in Kano.
Anas said the incident occurred on Friday night, adding that the service received a distress call about the fire at approximately 9:43 p.m.
He noted that the distress call was made by one of the service’s Principal Fire Superintendents, Usman Idris-Fagge, through the Emergency Response Unit Control Room.
He said the service immediately deployed firefighters from various stations to the market to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to other shops.
Anas said that upon arrival at the scene, firefighters discovered that approximately six buildings had been affected by the inferno.
He explained that the affected buildings were two-storey structures measuring approximately 120 feet by 125 feet and were being used as plastic shops and storage facilities.
The director said the affected buildings contained two shops on the ground floor, two shops on the first floor, six stores and four temporary shops on the upper floor.
He said the fire started on the upper floor before spreading to the first and ground floors of the affected buildings.
Anas said firefighters from the Service Headquarters, Rijiyar Zaki, Sabon Gari, Government House and Bompai fire stations successfully contained the fire.
He added that the coordinated response prevented the inferno from spreading to other parts of the busy Kofar Wambai Market.
The director attributed the incident to a malfunction in a solar power system, noting that the fire caused damage to shops and storage facilities within the affected buildings.
Anas appealed to members of the public to remain vigilant and adopt proactive measures to prevent fire outbreaks, particularly in markets and other densely populated areas.
He also urged residents and traders to equip their homes and shops with fire detectors and functional fire extinguishers to facilitate early detection and control of fires.
