By Deborah Nnamdi
A fire outbreak in the early hours of Friday gutted the Fatima Simra Multi-Purpose Market at the Dakata Small Scale and Industry Multi-Purpose Market in Kano, destroying no fewer than 50 shops.
The Public Relations Officer of the Kano State Fire Service, Saminu Abdullahi, confirmed the incident, stating that the fire started around 5:50 a.m. Firefighters were still battling to contain the blaze as of the time of filing this report.
Abdullahi said the extent of the damage had yet to be fully determined, noting that investigations would commence after the fire is completely extinguished. Most of the affected shops were involved in oil production and the recycling of nylon and plastic materials.
The latest incident comes barely six days after a devastating inferno at Singer Market destroyed over 1,000 shops and businesses, with properties estimated to be worth more than N5 billion lost in the blaze. Several persons were also reported missing.
Chairman of Singer Market, Junaid Zakari, had described the earlier incident as one of the worst tragedies in the market’s history, revealing that about four residential buildings housing small-scale businesses were completely razed.
“This is one of the darkest moments we have experienced in Singer Market. Properties worth over ₦5 billion have been lost,” Zakari said, adding that more than 1,000 shops and businesses were affected, crippling the livelihoods of hundreds of families.
He appealed to the government, corporate organisations and well-meaning individuals to assist affected traders in rebuilding their businesses.
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf later visited the market to assess the damage and commended security agencies and firefighters for their swift response. He also called on the Federal Government to support the state with modern firefighting equipment to help prevent future occurrences.
Singer Market remains one of Kano’s major commercial hubs, serving thousands of traders and customers across the North-West region.
