A devastating fire has reportedly destroyed around 103 shops in the perishable items section of the Central Market in Gusau, Zamfara State. The fire broke out shortly after electricity was restored to the market around 10:30 PM on Sunday and continued for several hours before being extinguished around 2 AM on Monday by federal and state fire services.
Although the exact cause of the fire has not been officially confirmed, a firefighter suggested that it may have been triggered by an electrical surge. Alhaji Inusa Saminu, chairman of the Perishable Items Sellers Association, described the loss as catastrophic, estimating damages to be in the millions of naira.
He criticized the slow response of the state fire service, noting that the only fire truck at their nearby station had been out of commission for months. “We have a fire service station not far from the market, but when they were called, they said their vehicle was grounded,” he lamented, stressing the need for functional firefighting equipment.
Another victim, Malam Tanimu, echoed this sentiment, stating that his store, along with others stocked with perishable goods, was completely destroyed. The inadequate equipment available to firefighters was cited as a major reason for the delayed response.
The Director of the Zamfara State Fire Service, Alhaji Jibo Dauran, indicated that only the Executive Secretary of the agency, who was unavailable due to medical reasons, could comment on the incident.
Traders are now appealing to the state government for assistance to recover from their losses, as this marks the sixth major market fire in the state.
