No fewer than 50 shops were destroyed on Friday morning after a fire outbreak at Fatima Simra Multi-Purpose Market, located in the Dakata area of Kano State.
The fire started around 5:40 a.m. on Friday, February 20, 2026.
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Confirming the incident, the chairman of the market’s fire committee, Dauda Haruna Chula, told Daily Trustthat most of the affected shops were small-scale businesses involved in oil production and the recycling of plastic and nylon materials.
“From what we have seen so far, about 50 shops have already been destroyed, and the fire is still ongoing. We are still expecting personnel from the Kano State Fire Service,” he said.
Chula added that efforts were made to contact the fire service and other relevant agencies, noting that they had acknowledged awareness of the incident.
“We did our best to alert them and explain the situation on the ground. I can hear the sound of their vehicle right now,” he added.
As of the time of reporting, the full extent of the damage and whether there were casualties had not yet been confirmed. However, traders expressed serious concern over what they described as a delayed response by emergency services.
The incident comes barely one week after a major fire outbreak at Singer Market, where over 1,000 traders reportedly suffered losses.
Following that incident, Vice President Kashim Shettima visited the market and announced a N5 billion donation to the victims on behalf of the Federal Government. He described the incident as a national tragedy and prayed for God to prevent future disasters.
Similarly, Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf disclosed that governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) donated N3 billion to support affected traders.