The National Emergency Management Agency has attributed the fire outbreak that destroyed dozens of shops at the Old Market in Sokoto State to sparks from a welding activity.
The agency disclosed this on Tuesday through its Sokoto Operations Office in a post shared on its official Facebook page after officials carried out an assessment at the scene of the incident.
According to NEMA, an eyewitness informed emergency responders that the fire started while a welder was working on a shop door within the market.
“An eyewitness said the fire was triggered by sparks from a welding activity while a welder was repairing a faulty shop door,” the agency said.
NEMA explained that the fire broke out at about 10:00 am on Sunday and affected roughly 60 shops in the market.
“The incident affected about 60 shops, with goods worth millions of naira destroyed,” the statement read.
The agency listed several items that were lost to the inferno, including beverages, biscuits, nylon materials, cosmetics and other assorted merchandise.
“Items destroyed include beverages, biscuits, nylon materials, cosmetics and other assorted goods,” it added.
NEMA stated that officers of the Fire Service responded swiftly to the incident and succeeded in stopping the fire from spreading to other sections of the market.
“The prompt response of the Fire Service helped to contain the fire and prevent further spread,” the agency said.
The agency noted that the incident left many traders under severe financial strain after they lost their sources of livelihood. It added that the damage assessment was conducted alongside the Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency to guide response actions and possible intervention plans.
Meanwhile, Sokoto State Governor, Ahmed Aliyu, had earlier visited the scene of the fire and promised government support for affected traders.
Describing the incident during the visit, the governor said it was unfortunate.
“The impact of this inferno goes beyond the affected traders; it also affects the government and the entire people of Sokoto State,” Aliyu said.
