Fire: How I lost years of hard work within minutes – Katsina trader

A devastating fire outbreak sparked by a solar-powered inverter razed 10 shops at the Katsina Central Market, destroying goods worth millions of naira and triggering sharp criticism from traders over the fire service’s emergency response capabilities.

A devastating fire outbreak swept through a busy section of the Katsina Central Market—popularly known as the Fatima Baika Market—in the early hours of Tuesday, completely destroying 10 shops and consuming goods and properties valued at millions of naira. Eyewitnesses reported that the inferno started before dawn and spread rapidly through the rows of commercial stalls, leaving traders entirely helpless as the flames aggressively consumed merchandise consisting of essential food items, beverages, textiles, and domestic curtains. Business owners who rushed to the commercial hub after receiving panicked distress calls met a scene of absolute devastation, characterized by thick plumes of black smoke, twisted metal frameworks, and smoldering debris where their livelihoods had stood just hours prior.

According to official statements released by the spokesperson for the Katsina State Fire Service, Rabe Audi, the emergency agency received a distress call shortly after the fire broke out and mobilized firefighters to the scene. While the intense heat and flammable materials caused total destruction to shops numbered 128 through 130, the tactical intervention of the first responders successfully contained the heart of the blaze, saving seven adjacent shops (numbered 112 to 114) and rescuing a Peugeot 406 vehicle parked nearby. Although initial assessments indicate that no lives were lost in the incident, a fire service official identified as Idris Gachi sustained a severe foot injury while battling the flames. Preliminary investigations by the state agency point toward a malfunctioning solar-powered electricity inverter system as the trigger for the initial spark, prompting fire officials to publicly warn market users to prioritize professional installation and routine maintenance of alternative power systems.

Despite the containment of the fire, the incident has exposed severe friction between the trading community and the state’s emergency response infrastructure. Leadership and members of the Katsina Central Market Traders Association openly blamed delayed arrival times for the scale of the financial losses, alleging that systemic underfunding continues to cripple the agency’s operational readiness. Outraged traders revealed that they are routinely compelled to collectively raise private funds to purchase fuel for emergency trucks before the fire service can deploy to active disaster scenes. Appealing directly to the state government for urgent intervention, the association’s leader warned that the livelihoods of thousands of families who depend entirely on the market for income will remain structurally threatened unless the state fire service is adequately funded, equipped, and freed from logistical bottlenecks that delay emergency response.

READ THE FULL STORY IN DAILY TRUST