The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has confirmed that a devastating fire incident at the Karar Yan Katako Market in Sokoto State destroyed no fewer than 563 shops.
In a statement released on Thursday via its official X page, NEMA disclosed that the fire, which started around 3:15am on Tuesday, raged for two days before being extinguished by the Sokoto State Fire Service.
The agency noted that the inferno affected the building materials section of the market, where traders primarily dealt in wood, roofing materials, pipes, and fittings.
“This is the second time in January this year that the market has suffered a fire incident,” the statement read.
“The first occurred in the grinding machines section in the first week of January, while the second affected the wood and building materials section.”
After a prolonged effort, the Sokoto State Fire Service successfully brought the fire under control.
“The fire, which started at about 3:15am on Tuesday, destroyed approximately 563 shops dealing in wood, roofing sheets, nails, toilet fittings, and pipes,”the statement added.
Recall that Governor Aliyu Ahmed on Thursday expressed sorrow over the devastating fire that razed the Sokoto Timber Market, also known as Kasuwar Yan Katako.