Three Killed as Fuel Tanker Explodes at Kano Market Junction

The Kano State Fire Service has confirmed that three persons lost their lives while one survived with injuries in two separate fire disasters recorded in Kano State on Friday.

The Fire Service disclosed this in a statement released on Saturday, signed by its Public Relations Officer, ACFO Saminu Yusif Abdullahi.

The first incident happened on Friday at about 1:30pm when a petrol tanker carrying 30,000 litres of fuel crashed, exploded and caught fire at the Kura Market junction along Zaria Road.

The tanker reportedly knocked down a cyclist before it went up in flames. Its registration number was NGZ 250 XA.

Firefighters said they moved into action swiftly after receiving a distress call from a retired Civil Defence officer, Danlami Muhammad.

“On arrival, our men found the tanker fully engulfed in flames. Four people were affected; three were rescued unconscious and later confirmed dead, while the cyclist survived,” the statement read.

The cause of the crash, the Service added, is currently under investigation.

Barely an hour later, at about 2:45pm, another fire broke out at Hamisu Plaza along Maiduguri Road in the Tarauni Local Government Area.

According to the Fire Service, the upper floor of the two-storey building was already burning when its team arrived. Three shops on the top floor were destroyed, but firefighters managed to save the remaining shops on the first and ground floors.

A fire truck stationed at the Kano Trade Fair, which was responding to an emergency call at the time, diverted to help fight the blaze.

The Service noted that the cause of the plaza fire is also being investigated.

Speaking on the rising cases of fire disasters, the Director of the Kano State Fire Service, Alhaji Sani Anas, urged residents to be more careful.

“Residents must exercise extra caution during the harmattan season. Tragedies like this can be prevented,” he said, also calling on motorists to respect traffic rules.

The Fire Service also recalled previous fatal and major market fires recorded in Kano in recent weeks.

Nine days earlier, four members of a family died in a fire at Kundila Layin Baba “Impossible” in Tarauni LGA.

On November 11, over 25 temporary shops and 19 stores were destroyed at Singer Market on Maiduguri Road.

And on November 11, no fewer than 25 temporary shops and 19 stores were razed at the popular Singer Market in the early hours of that day.

In another fire, recorded in the early hours of Monday, November 11, at Singer Market, 25 temporary shops and 19 stores were destroyed.

Another major blaze earlier this month at Singer Market also gutted 25 temporary shops and 19 stores, while a separate inferno at Singer Market destroyed 25 temporary shops and 19 stores earlier in the month.

Additionally, temporary shops and 19 stores were burnt at Singer Market earlier in November, according to previous Fire Service disclosures.