A fire outbreak on Friday afternoon ravaged the popular Farm Centre GSM Market in Kano, destroying at least 47 shops. The Kano State Fire Service has attributed the cause of the incident to a battery explosion.
In a statement released by the Fire Service Public Relations Officer, ACFO Saminu Yusif Abdullahi, the alarm was raised at exactly 12:32 p.m. by Senior Fire Superintendent (SFS) Musa Ya’u, who alerted the control room to the emergency.
Responding swiftly under the leadership of Director Alhaji Sani Anas, firefighters from various stations within the Kano metropolitan area were mobilized to the scene.
According to the Fire Service report, the inferno originated from the ground floor of a one-storey building, consuming 20 permanent and 13 temporary shops, before spreading to the upper floor where 13 more shops and one temporary shop were affected.
“By God’s intervention and the effort of our men, we were able to contain the fire using five jets,” the statement added, confirming that no lives were lost and no injuries were reported.
The Fire Service has urged shop owners and residents to exercise caution in handling batteries and other electrical components to prevent future occurrences.