A fire outbreak in the early hours of Friday has destroyed no fewer than 50 shops at the Fatima Simra Multi-Purpose Market in the Dakata area of Kano State.
The fire, which started around 5:40 a.m., affected mainly small-scale businesses involved in oil production and the recycling of plastics and nylon materials. Traders arrived at the market in the morning to find thick smoke rising from several sections as flames spread from shop to shop.
The chairman of the market’s fire committee, Dauda Haruna Chula, confirmed the incident. He said the inferno began at dawn and was still burning strongly as of the time he spoke with reporters.
“From what we have seen so far, about 50 shops are already down and the fire is still ongoing,” Chula said. “We are still expecting the Kano State Fire Service personnel.”
According to him, market leaders and traders made several calls to alert emergency responders as soon as the fire was noticed. He said they contacted the relevant agencies and were told that help was on the way.
“We did as much as we could to call them and inform them of the situation on the ground. I can hear the sound of their car right now,” he added at the time of the report.
Although the full extent of the damage has not yet been confirmed, traders said they fear heavy financial losses. Many of the affected shops deal in locally produced cooking oil, plastic recycling, and nylon processing. These businesses often store large quantities of raw materials, including plastic waste and flammable substances, which may have helped the fire to spread quickly.
Some shop owners said they were yet to determine how much they had lost, but described the situation as devastating.
“We depend on this market to feed our families,” one trader said. “If the shops are gone, our means of survival is gone.”
As of press time, there was no official report of casualties. However, traders expressed concern over what they described as a delay in the arrival of emergency services. Many said faster response could help reduce damage in future incidents.
Friday’s incident comes barely one week after a major fire outbreak at the popular Singer Market in Kano. In that incident, over 1,000 traders were affected as fire destroyed goods worth millions of naira.
The repeated fire outbreaks have raised serious concern among residents and business owners in Kano, which is one of Nigeria’s major commercial cities. Markets in the state are often crowded and contain tightly packed shops, making them vulnerable to fire outbreaks.
Kano is known for its strong trading culture, with markets serving as the backbone of the local economy. Thousands of families depend on daily sales from these markets to survive. When fire incidents occur, they not only destroy goods but also affect livelihoods and increase poverty.
In recent years, state authorities have urged market associations to set up fire committees and provide basic firefighting equipment such as extinguishers and water tanks. Some markets have taken steps in this direction, but challenges remain.
At Fatima Simra Market, traders said they tried to control the fire using available resources before the arrival of firefighters. However, the scale of the blaze made it difficult to stop.
Residents of Dakata and surrounding areas gathered near the scene, watching as smoke filled the sky. Some helped move goods from nearby shops to safer areas to prevent further losses.
For now, traders at Fatima Simra Multi-Purpose Market are left counting their losses and hoping for support. Many are calling on the Kano State Government to step up fire prevention efforts and improve response time to emergencies.
The latest incident highlights the urgent need for improved fire safety measures in major markets across Kano and other parts of Nigeria. As investigations continue, affected shop owners can only wait and hope that help will come to ease their burden.
