A fire outbreak has burnt down about 40 shops at Zawaciki market, close to 1000 housing units in Kumbotso LGA of Kano State.

A witness, Ahmad Nasir Wali, said the fire started in the early hours of Wednesday and it took the state fire service several hours to put out the fire.

He said provisions, cement, woods, and POS stores, among other properties and goods worth millions of naira were destroyed.

Some residents of the area said firefighters from a private company, Mamuda Group, were the first to arrive at the scene to help bring the situation under control.

When contacted, the spokesman for the state fire service, Alhaji Saminu Yusuf, confirmed the incident, saying they received a call from one Malam Muhammad Baba, a resident, around 12:37 am and they immediately directed their Sharada and Audu Bako centres to move quickly to the scene.

Yusuf said another vehicle was later dispatched from the headquarters and they succeeded in putting out the fire.

One of the victims, Aminu Isa, said he came to the scene around 1 am Wednesday after receiving a call that his shop was razed.

He said, ‘’Upon my arrival, I realised I had lost everything in the shop to the fire.’’ (Daily Trust)