An early morning fire outbreak on Monday gutted parts of Singa Market, triggering panic among traders and causing the destruction of valuable properties.
The fire reportedly started at a large warehouse within the MAZAF complex in the market.
Due to the intensity of the blaze, a nearby two-storey building was also engulfed by the flames and later collapsed.
The affected buildings were heavily stocked with assorted goods, including cartons of biscuits, milk products, OMO detergent, and smoked fish, resulting in huge losses for traders.
Several top officials and stakeholders were at the scene from about 5:30 a.m. until late morning to assess the situation.
Among them were the Managing Director of the Sabon Gari, Singa, and Galadima Market Management Board, Abdul Bashir Hussien; the Chairman of the Singa Traders Association (SIMDA), Barrister Junaidu Muhd Zakari; and other market leaders.
As of the time of filing this report, the cause of the fire had yet to be determined.
However, a trailer driver said that at about 3:00 a.m., while offloading goods, light smoke was noticed coming from the MAZAF warehouse.
According to him, the vehicle was immediately moved away, after which the fire escalated.
Firefighters from the State and Federal Fire Services, supported by the fire unit of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, promptly responded and worked to contain the inferno.
Confirming the incident, the Fire Service Commander in charge of Sabon Gari and Singa Market, Usman Ibrahim Fagge, said the fire was eventually brought under control through the combined efforts of the responding teams.
Traders who arrived at the market at dawn were able to salvage a significant portion of their goods before the fire was fully extinguished at about 10:30 a.m.
