A huge fire has engulfed popular Katsina Central Market, destroying goods and structures worth millions of Naira Monday morning.
An eyewitness, Abass Labaran who spoke to newsmen said that over 100 shops were razed in the inferno.
The businessperson said he lost a great quantity of foodstuff, groceries and books. The fire, according to the eyewitness, began from the Unity Bank located in heart of the market at about 7:30 a.m. and spread to other stalls
“The inferno was not caused by anything but an act of Almighty Allah, it all starts from one shop and spread across to about a thousand shops. My shop boy was the first to inform me of the incident,” Labaran added.
Another merchant in the market named Saheed, blamed the fire to be from the blast of gas cylinders sold in one of the shops because a loud noise was heard when the fire started.
The inferno in Katsina came barely 24 hours after investments worth millions of Naira and over 60 shops were burned in midnight fire on Saturday at the TudunWada Market, in Gusau, Zamfara State.
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of the market, Lawali Bello said the massive fire was caused by an electrical fault in one of the shops and it eventually spread to other shops, destroying over 60 shops
Following the inferno, the affected traders trooped to the market to count their losses, calling on the government to come to their aid.
When Governor Bello Matawalle visited the scene of the fire outbreak, he promised to assist the victims with some money to quickly restart business somewhere else, pending the repair of the burnt shops.
Matawalle condoled with the victims over the unfavourable development and asked them to see the situation as the will of God.
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