A fire outbreak has destroyed three big stores at the popular Singer Market in Kano metropolis, resulting in significant loss of goods and property worth millions of naira.
People’s Pen24 gathered that the incident occurred in the early hours of Monday, affecting two market blocks identified as Gidan Mazaf and Gidan Mangaro.
The fire reportedly started at about 1:00 a.m. and spread rapidly, engulfing three large stores before it was brought under control.
Speaking with journalists, the Chairman of Gidan Mangaro, Alhaji Abba Usman, confirmed the incident, stating that he was informed about the fire around 4:00 a.m.
According to him, officials of the Kano State Fire Service had already arrived at the scene before his arrival and responded swiftly to contain the blaze.
“The Kano State Fire Service responded promptly, even before I arrived. Aspire Company and Mamuda Group also supported the firefighting efforts, and we are very grateful for their assistance,” he said.
Alhaji Usman disclosed that one of the affected stores alone contained goods valued at approximately ₦30 million, which were completely destroyed by the fire.
He also commended Aspire Group and Mamuda for their support in controlling the inferno.
An eyewitness, Kamal Sani, said he arrived at the scene about 30 minutes after the fire started. He explained that the fire had already engulfed one store and later spread to others.
“By the time I arrived, the fire had reached one store and later escalated to others. So far, three large stores containing food items and detergents have been destroyed,” he said.
“At least eight fire service trucks were deployed to the scene, while some private companies also provided additional water tankers to support the firefighting operation.”
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of the Kano State Fire Service, Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO) Saminu Yusuf Abdullahi, told SolaceBase that the cause of the fire is yet to be determined as investigations are ongoing.
“We received a distress call from traders around 3:16 a.m. reporting a fire outbreak at Singer Market. Upon arrival, we discovered that the fire started in one of the market blocks. Our personnel worked hard to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to other sections of the market,” he said.
He added that the agency is yet to ascertain the exact number of affected shops and the total value of goods destroyed.
“We are still conducting investigations to determine the extent of the damage, but we successfully extinguished the fire,” he added.
