A fire outbreak on Friday, September 4, 2026, destroyed parts of six houses, shops and storage facilities at Kofar Wambai Market in Kano State.
The incident occurred at about 9:43 p.m. at Babban Layi, Yan Robobi section of the market.
According to a statement issued on Saturday by the Kano State Fire Service Public Relations Officer, ACFO Saminu Yusif Abdullahi, the agency’s Emergency Response Unit received a distress call from one of its officers, Principal Fire Superintendent Usman Idris Fagge, reporting the incident.
Firefighters from the Service Headquarters and stations at Rijiyar Zaki, Sabon Gari, Government House and Bompai were immediately deployed to the scene.
Upon arrival, the firefighters discovered that approximately six houses, including Gidan Alhaji Sani, Gidan Sani Muhammad, Gidan Alhaji Kwa Kwa, Gidan Alhaji Shafi’u and Gidan Alhaji Sulaiman, had been affected by the fire.
The affected two-storey building, measuring approximately 120 by 125 feet, was being used as plastic shops and storage facilities.
The fire affected two shops on the ground floor, two shops on the first floor, six stores and four temporary stores on the upper floor.
The Fire Service said the blaze started from the upper floor before spreading to the first and ground floors.
However, firefighters successfully contained the fire and prevented it from spreading to other parts of the market.
The agency said its preliminary investigation traced the cause of the fire to a solar power system.
The Director of the Kano State Fire Service, Alhaji Sani Anas, urged members of the public and traders to remain vigilant and take proactive measures to prevent fire outbreaks.
He advised residents and traders to install fire detectors and keep functional fire extinguishers in their homes and business premises, while ensuring strict compliance with fire-safety measures.
