Fire guts old Sokoto market

The popular Old Market in Sokoto was on Monday night gutted by fire.

Goods worth millions of naira were lost in about 20 shops consumed by the inferno, which started at about 11pm on Monday.

Mustapha Abubakar, the Head of Operations in Sokoto Fire Service, who confirmed the incident on Tuesday, said that the inferno started at about 11:00 p.m on Monday and lasted till about 2:00 a.m on Tuesday.

Abubakar said that the affected shops included those belonging selling cosmetics and clothes, adding that officials were at the scene to investigate the cause of incident and the damages.

Abubakar said that fire fighters made efforts to end the inferno throughout the night. He commended members of the traders union and sister agencies for the support and prayed against recurrence.

The operation officer warned members of the public against reporting fire incidents late. He also warned against against blocking of the movement of firefighting engines during incidents.

Abubakar advised that people should not engage a fire before informing the agency, noting that the situation usually led to fire escalation before the arrival of fire fighters.