By BANNERNEWS Reporter
Traders at Singa Market in Kano have suffered losses running into billions of naira following a devastating early-morning fire that razed dozens of shops and warehouses.
Chairman of the Singa Market Management Committee, Barrister Junaidu Muhammad, described the inferno as “very unfortunate,” saying preliminary estimates showed that goods worth billions of naira were destroyed, while a full assessment was still ongoing.
Muhammad, who spoke to journalists at the scene, said traders lost a huge portion of their investments as they struggled to salvage whatever remained of their merchandise after the fire was brought under control.
Spokesperson of the Kano State Fire Service, Saminu Abdullahi, confirmed the incident, noting that the fire outbreak was reported in the early hours of the morning.
The fire reportedly started from a large warehouse within the MAZAF complex inside the market. Due to the intensity of the blaze, a nearby two-storey building was engulfed and later collapsed.
A source within the market said the affected buildings were heavily stocked with assorted goods, including cartons of biscuits, milk products, detergents, butter and smoked fish, resulting in massive losses of commodities and property.
One affected trader recounted rushing to the market around 4:00 a.m. after receiving a distress call, saying over 30 stalls were destroyed, wiping out business capital built over several years.
The incident attracted shop owners, market officials and security personnel, while firefighting teams from the state and federal fire services, as well as the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport fire unit, battled the blaze and prevented further spread.
Head of the Kano office of the Federal Fire Service, ASF Alhassan Ahmad, said two persons were trapped when some stalls collapsed but were rescued with minor injuries and taken for treatment, adding that the fire was caused by an electrical spark in one of the shops.
