Inferno destroys Yan Katako Market in Kaduna

A blaze on Friday morning has destroyed goods worth millions of Naira at the popular Yan Katako Market, Sabon Gari, Zaria, in Kaduna State.

Suleiman Yusuf-na-Hari, Chairman, Sabon Gari Carpenters Association, Yan Katako Market, Sabon Gari Zaria, said the fire inciden at the market destroyed shops and furniture worth hundreds of millions of Naira at the market.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the incident occurred at the wee hours of Friday around 4am, with about 50 percent of the shop’s affected.

Yusuf-na-Hari said the incident was one of the worst fire outbreaks experienced in the area.

He said that there were some 600 shops in the market while more than half of the shops were gutted by the inferno.

The Chairman said that the blaze was traced to sparks from one of the machines within the market after it had discharged some hot substances, including carbon.

He added that the carbon emission went into the wood dust, where it eventually led to the fire outbreak in the early hours of the day.

He said the security men in the market could not prevent the spread of the fire outbreak from the onset adding that it took the intervention of the state fire service to contain it around 10.00 am, about six hours after it started.

The chairman commiserated with the victims of the fire outbreak and urged them to take the incident in good faith.

He further urged the federal, state, and local governments to assist the victims of the fire outbreak.