Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
A fire outbreak reportedly destroyed six houses, shops and storage facilities at Kofar Wanbai Market in Kano on Friday night, with emergency responders preventing the blaze from spreading to other parts of the commercial hub.
The fire reportedly occurred around 9:43 p.m. in the Babban Layi area of the Yan Robobi section of the market, raising concerns among traders and residents over fire safety in major markets.
The Kano State Fire Service confirmed the incident on Saturday, saying firefighters were immediately deployed after receiving a distress call from Principal Fire Superintendent Usman Idris Fagge.
According to the agency’s Public Relations Officer, ACFO Saminu Abdullahi, personnel from the state headquarters as well as fire stations in Rijiyar Zaki, Sabon Gari, Government House and Bompai responded to the emergency.
The affected properties were identified as Gidan Alhaji Sani, Gidan Sani Muhammad, Gidan Alhaji Kwa Kwa, Gidan Alhaji Shafi’u and Gidan Alhaji Sulaiman.
Abdullahi explained that the affected two-storey building, measuring approximately 120 by 125 feet, contained plastic shops and storage facilities used by traders.
The fire service said the incident affected two shops on the ground floor, two shops on the first floor, six stores and four temporary stores located on the upper floor of the building.
The blaze reportedly started from the upper floor before spreading downward prior to the arrival of firefighters.
“The cause of the fire was traced to a solar system,” Abdullahi said.
He noted that firefighters successfully contained the flames and stopped the fire from extending to nearby buildings and other sections of the busy market.
Following the incident, the Director of the Kano State Fire Service, Alhaji Sani Anas, urged traders and residents to adopt stronger fire safety measures to reduce the risk of future market fires.
Anas advised business owners and households to install fire detectors, keep functional fire extinguishers and comply with established fire safety regulations to help prevent similar incidents.
