Traders at the popular Singa Market in Kano metropolis have again suffered heavy losses following a fire outbreak that swept through parts of the market on Saturday evening.
The blaze reportedly began in a large provision store before spreading rapidly to adjoining shops, destroying goods estimated to be worth millions of naira.
Eyewitnesses said the incident drew the attention of residents across the ancient city as thick smoke billowed into the sky.
Efforts by traders and sympathisers to salvage merchandise were said to have been hampered by the intensity of the flames.
As of the time of filing this report, the cause of the fire had yet to be determined.
Confirming the development, the Public Relations Officer of the Kano State Fire Service, Saminu Abdullahi, said firefighters were immediately deployed to the scene to contain the inferno and prevent further spread.
“The fire started in the evening around the Gidan Gashash area. Our personnel and firefighting trucks have been mobilised to the market to bring the situation under control,” he said.
Abdullahi, however, noted that poor access roads within the market and heavy human and vehicular traffic posed challenges to emergency response operations.
The latest incident comes barely two weeks after a similar outbreak razed three major stores in the market, leading to substantial losses.
During a recent visit to commiserate with affected traders, Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, announced a donation of N100m to cushion the impact of the earlier disaster.