Traders at the popular Singa Market in Kano State were left counting their losses on Sunday after a massive fire outbreak razed large sections of the market for nearly 24 hours.
The inferno, which reportedly started from a provision store on Saturday afternoon, spread rapidly to other parts of the market, destroying goods and property worth millions of naira.
As of the time of filing this report on Sunday, the fire was still burning in some sections of the market, while the cause of the incident had yet to be ascertained.
Confirming the development, the Public Relations Officer of the Kano State Fire Service, Saminu Abdullahi, said firefighters were immediately deployed to the scene to contain the blaze.
He said, “The fire outbreak started this evening at the Gidan Gashash area, and efforts are being made to put out the fire to prevent it from spreading further. The agency has already mobilized its personnel and vehicles to the market.
“As you know, lack of access roads within the market, as well as heavy human and vehicular movement, is affecting the movement of fire service vehicles.”
He added that personnel of the Fire Service were doing their best under difficult conditions to bring the situation under control.
Our correspondent gathered that many traders struggled through the night to salvage their goods as thick smoke billowed across the market, while sympathisers trooped to the scene to offer support.
The Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, visited the market separately on Sunday to assess the extent of the damage.
Also, the State Commissioner for Investment, Commerce and Industry, Shehu Wada Sagagi, paid a separate visit to the market to sympathise with the affected traders.
Addressing victims during his visit, the governor described the incident as unfortunate and expressed sympathy with traders who lost their means of livelihood.
He assured them of the state government’s support and appealed to the Federal Government to come to the aid of the affected traders, urging swift intervention to cushion the impact of the disaster.
Yusuf also called for improved safety measures in major markets across the state to prevent a recurrence, while commending the efforts of the Fire Service for working tirelessly to contain the inferno.
This is the second fire incident at Singa Market in less than two weeks. On February 2, 2026, a similar fire outbreak destroyed three large stores in the market, leading to significant losses estimated in millions of naira.
