A late-night fire tore through a stretch of Murtala Mohammed Way in the Fagge Local Government Area of Kano State on Thursday, leaving offices, shops, and commercial buildings reduced to ash, though officials say no lives were lost in the incident.
The fire, which broke out near the First City Monument Bank branch in the area, is believed to have ignited at the Takumbo Market, a popular salvage yard known for housing scrap and used goods, before rapidly spreading to neighboring structures.
Confirming the incident in a statement issued on Friday, the public relations officer of the Kano State Fire Service, ACFO Saminu Yusif Abdullahi, said the alarm was raised at approximately 10:54 p.m. on Thursday when one of the service’s own personnel, HFS Ibrahim Sabo, placed a distress call reporting the outbreak.
In response, firefighting units from the service headquarters, alongside teams from other metropolitan fire stations, were swiftly mobilized to the scene in a bid to bring the inferno under control.
By the time responders arrived, the statement noted, they were confronted with a fierce blaze that had already engulfed a one-story building along with an adjoining commercial area spanning roughly 300 by 200 feet, a sprawling stretch that underscored the scale of the damage.
Preliminary findings traced the source of the fire to the salvage yard itself, where a substantial volume of goods and property went up in flames before the fire leapt to surrounding buildings, consuming everything in its path.
Among the worst hit was the Kanawa Building, where the upper floor suffered extensive damage. Two offices, two parlors, two toilets, and a kitchen were all destroyed in the blaze. The fire also crept into the ground floor, where two stores belonging to TUSRAYS Nigeria Limited were similarly razed.
Investigators have since attributed the cause of the fire to an electrical spark, reigniting concerns over the safety of wiring and installations in the densely packed commercial district.
In the aftermath, the director of the Kano State Fire Service, Alhaji Sani Anas, issued a strong appeal to residents and business owners across the state to take fire safety more seriously.
He stressed the importance of properly maintaining electrical installations and adhering strictly to safety guidelines, warning that lapses in such measures often pave the way for disasters of this nature.
Anas further urged members of the public to act swiftly whenever a fire breaks out, emphasizing that prompt reporting to the nearest fire station could make the difference between a contained incident and a full-blown catastrophe.
According to him, early intervention remains one of the most effective tools in minimizing property damage and, more importantly, saving lives.
As of the time of filing this report, no casualties had been recorded, a development that authorities are likely to view as the only silver lining in an otherwise devastating night for traders and business owners along the affected stretch of Murtala Mohammed Way.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
The Kano fire, sparked by an electrical fault at the Takumbo salvage yard, spread rapidly and destroyed multiple offices, shops, and parts of the Kanawa Building along Murtala Mohammed Way.
While no lives were lost, the incident underscores a critical lesson: faulty electrical installations remain a leading cause of fire disasters, and residents must prioritize regular maintenance and prompt reporting to prevent such losses in the future.
