A fire outbreak on Friday destroyed parts of the palace of the Emir of Jama’a in Kafanchan, the headquarters of Jema’a Local Government Area in Kaduna State.
Sources told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the affected apartments were part of the wing occupied by the Emir’s mother.
According to the sources, the fire reportedly started while the family was preparing for the early evening Maghrib prayers, triggering panic within the palace and the surrounding neighborhood.
When NAN visited the palace on Friday night, smoldering debris was still visible, with sections of the affected building badly burnt and several household items reduced to ashes.
Residents and sympathizers thronged the palace to express solidarity with the Emir and his family.
Eyewitnesses said officials of the Kaduna State Fire Service in Kafanchan responded to a distress call but were unable to contain the blaze because their pumping machine reportedly failed to start upon arrival.
Sources said this problem hampered early firefighting efforts, allowing the fire to spread and consume four flats before additional support was mobilized.
Local volunteers reportedly joined efforts to salvage property and prevent the fire from spreading to other sections of the palace.
Although no casualties had been reported at the time of filing this report, the incident caused significant damage.
The cause of the fire remains unknown, and authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the extent of the losses or the circumstances surrounding the outbreak.
Residents of Kafanchan described the inferno as unfortunate and called for improved emergency response capacity in the area.
NAN
