A 30-year-old man, identified as Suraja Muhammad, was on Sunday suffocated by smoke during a fire outbreak at a popular Vita foam store located on Ibrahim Taiwo Road, Kano.
The tragedy was confirmed via a press statement made available to The PUNCH on Monday.
The Kano State Fire Service spokesman, Saminu Abdullahi, said in the statement, “On Sunday, January 19, 2025, at about 18:30 hrs, the state fire service control room received an emergency call from one of our staff, SFS Idris Isah Charo, informing us of a fire incident at Ibrahim Taiwo Road, Yan Kafifa Fagge LGA.
“Shortly after receiving the distress call, the crew on duty from different fire stations within the metropolitan city of Kano were mobilised to the scene of the incident, but the victim was conveyed to the hospital for medical attention before the arrival of our men.
“On arrival at the scene of the incident at about 18:34 hrs, the firefighters discovered that a house, popularly known as Gidan Alhaji Muhammadu, Mai Katifa, about 100 x 100 ft, used as a mattress store, Vita from Plaza, caught fire from the last floor. This caused the burning of a mattress store, one shop and one toilet, which were all burnt to the upper floor.”
The fire then spread to the first floor of the building, which included three shops and one toilet.
The ground floor, which included four shops and two toilets, was partially engulfed by fire.
Subsequently, the fire, which spread to a neighbouring building, only affected it partially.
According to the statement, five jets from the state fire service were used to tackle the fire at the end of the day.
The cause of the incident and the estimated loss of properties are still under investigation.
