Fire Guts Popular Market In Kano, Destroys Goods Worth Millions Of Naira

Traders at the Kingsway home appliances market along Murtala Muhammad Way in Kano State have been thrown into distress after a late-night fire destroyed scores of shops and goods worth millions of naira.

Naija News learnt that the fire, which started around 10 pm on Thursday, raged for several hours before it was eventually brought under control on Friday morning.

The market is popular for the sale of fairly used home appliances and household items, including refrigerators, air conditioners, doors, carpets, chairs, tables and cushions.

One of the affected traders, Kabiru Idris Muhammad, who spoke to journalists, said the fire caused massive destruction, adding that very few goods were recovered from the shops before they were consumed by the flames.

He said more than 10 fire trucks were deployed by the Kano State Fire Service to battle the inferno.

“We don’t know the cause yet. It was very deadly and very few valuables were evacuated, virtually everything burnt down. One of the shops here supplies air conditioners from Lagos, another sells carpets, and someone lost almost eight shops,” Muhammad reportedly told Daily Trust.

“Nobody can estimate the loss, but we are talking of hundreds of millions of naira. Close to 100 temporary shops were burnt,” he added.

Muhammad also said part of a courier service company, DHL, was affected by the incident.

He described the fire as the worst ever witnessed in the history of the market, appealing to the government to urgently support the affected traders.

“We want government to quickly help us; we are in serious problem,” he lamented.

Another trader, Usama Usman, said many of the traders were alerted after the fire had already spread through a large section of the market.

According to him, by the time they arrived at the scene, most of the shops had already been destroyed.

“We were called and told the fire had started last night. When we came, we asked the market security and he said the fire just started. But by the time we arrived, everything was completely burnt. Nothing was picked,” Usman said.

He added that many traders lost their entire stock to the fire, leaving them uncertain about how to restart their businesses.

The Kano State Fire Service confirmed the incident, saying preliminary investigations showed that the fire was caused by an electric spark.

In a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the service, ACFO Saminu Yusif Abdullahi, the agency said firefighters from its headquarters and other metropolitan stations were immediately deployed to the scene after receiving the distress call.

According to the statement, the firefighters arrived to find a one-storey building and an adjoining open commercial area, measuring about 300 by 200 feet, engulfed in flames.

“On arrival, they found a one-storey building and an adjoining open commercial area of about 300 by 200 feet engulfed in flames,” Abdullahi said.

“Preliminary findings revealed that the fire started from the salvage yard, Takumbo market, destroying a large quantity of properties before spreading to the upper floor of the Kanawa Building.”

The fire service said the inferno also destroyed two offices, two parlours, two toilets and one kitchen.

It added that two stores located on the ground floor of TUSRAYS Nigeria Ltd were also affected by the fire.

The agency, however, did not report any casualty in the statement.

The Director of the Kano State Fire Service, Alhaji Sani Anas, advised residents and business owners to take fire safety seriously, especially in markets and commercial areas where electrical appliances and combustible materials are often stored.

He urged members of the public to take necessary precautions against fire outbreaks and to promptly report any fire incident to the nearest fire station.