Billions Lost in Kano’s Worst Market Fire

Over five thousand shops were razed by an early morning fire in the popular Kano textile market, Kantin Kwari, yesterday. Officials say it is the most destructive fire incident in the history of the market. Tens of fire-fighting vehicles were seen battling the fire, while a helicopter belonging to National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) was sighted hovering around the scene, spreading fire-extinguishing solutions.

Our reporters also gathered that scores of traders thronged to the market in order to salvage their wares moments after the outbreak. Many affected traders were said to have fainted when they saw the gravity of the inferno. One of the traders was declared missing after dashing into a burning shop in order to salvage his wares, while a Good Samaritan missed a step and died helping to extinguish the fire.
Weekly Trust gathered that the fire, which broke out around 1am yesterday, started from the makeshift stalls that dot the market and spread to eight shopping complexes in the heart of the market. Each shopping complex contains about a thousand shops. According to market officials, the fire started after a power surge. Spokesman of Kantin Kwari Traders Association Sadiku Ata said the fire began from the eastern section, before spreading to other shops and stands. The Operations Officer State Fire Service, Kassim Musa confirmed that, adding that initially firefighters had experienced difficulty in accessing one of the affected multi-shop complexes at Gidan Labaran due to congestion.
When Weekly Trust visited the scene of the fire, men of fire service were already battling the fire and vehicles from private organizations and good Samaritans were seen helping to put out the flames. A fire officer said NITEL cables helped spread the flames to other shops. He said the fire service learnt of the outbreak from a police patrol team, at about 1:30am. He added that 16 vehicles were immediately deployed to the affected area. Musa said the inferno was put under control at around 7:28am yesterday.
Alhaji Kabiru Sarki Sagagi, the vice chairman of Kantin Kwari Traders Market Association, said the first wave of the fire gutted some wooden stands and tables before spreading to nearby shops through NITEL cables. Corroborating the market spokesman, he said eight shopping complexes that were consumed by the inferno comprised that of Gidan Gwamnan Maradi, Gidan Bala Rabi’u, Gidan Bayajidda, Gidan Inuwa Memai, Gidan Alfa Wali, Gidan Madawa, Gidan Labaran and Gidan Ado Bashari. The vice chairman also added that affected shops number approximately 5,000.
The Public Relations Officer of the association, Sadiku Ata, informed Weekly Trust that after the traders responded to the alarm raised by the market guards, they found it difficult to access into the affected areas, as tables and stands that lined up the paths of the market were in flames. The PRO said: “There has never been a fire in the history of the state that has caused this much damage to property.”
He revealed that preliminary assessment showed that over N2 billion worth of textile materials were lost. Citing examples of those affected by the fire, he said a trader named Alhaji Umaru Hamza lost N60 million worth of textiles in one shop, while another trader lost N22 million in cash to the inferno.
Similarly, while speaking to our reporters at the scene, Kano State Commissioner of Works,  Sarki Labaran, said: “This is the worst inferno I have ever witnessed in my career as a public servant.”   
Equally, Kano State Governor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, sympathized with the affected traders, saying they should take the incident an act of God, after paying a visit to the market. He enjoined people in the state to remain calm and disclosed his government’s intention to investigate the cause of the inferno, with a view to compensating the victims.
Even as at the time of filing this report, the smell of burnt textiles and plastic hung heavy in the air. One of the people helping out, said tiredly, shaking his head: “This loss is just unfathomable. Where will they start from now? ”