A late-night fire outbreak has reportedly destroyed a warehouse and goods worth about ₦15 million in the Barakallahu area of Gusau, Zamfara State, throwing the neighbourhood into panic.
According to Daily Trust, a witness, Sambo Balarabe, said the incident was first noticed at about 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday by a motorcycle rider who observed smoke billowing from the warehouse roof while passing through the area.
“The motorcycle rider quickly alerted people in the neighbourhood after sighting smoke coming out from the roof of the warehouse,” Balarabe reportedly said.
According to the witness, residents acted swiftly by contacting the state fire service, which arrived at the scene even before the owner of the warehouse.
“We called the fire service and they responded quickly, even before the arrival of the owner. People had to force open the warehouse to allow the firefighters access,” he added.
Naija News reports that the Executive Director of the Zamfara State Fire Service, Abdullahi Jibo, confirmed the incident, saying the agency received a distress call about a fire outbreak at a business premises in the Barakallahu area, near Command Secondary School, Gusau.
“On arrival at the scene, it was discovered that the shop, occupied by Shafa’atu Sulaiman, had already been engulfed by fire,” Jibo stated in a letter addressed to the occupants.
Jibo disclosed that preliminary investigations traced the cause of the inferno to an electrical surge.
“No life was lost and no injury was recorded during the incident. However, all items in the business shop were completely burnt and destroyed by the fire, with the total loss estimated at ₦15,000,000,” the letter added.
