An overnight fire has left traders counting heavy losses at the Dakata small-scale industrial complex in Kano State, after flames tore through about 100 stalls at the facility popularly called Fatima Crossion and Recycling.
Emergency responders said the blaze broke out after a distress alert was raised by a resident, Mr Joseph. In a statement issued Friday, the Kano State Fire Service confirmed that its Emergency Response Unit received the call and immediately activated a multi-station response.
Fire crews from the service headquarters, Dakata Fire Station and Rijiyar Zaki Fire Station were dispatched to the scene, according to the statement signed by the agency’s Public Relations Officer, ACFO Saminu Yusif Abdullahi.
“Upon arrival, crews on duty discovered that the industrial complex, measuring about 300 by 200 feet, had been engulfed in flames,” the statement said.
The Dakata complex is laid out across four sections—Plots A, B, C and D—with an estimated 506 stalls in total. Fire officials said roughly 100 of those units were completely destroyed before the blaze was contained.
Initial accounts from within the complex pointed to a possible accidental trigger. The secretary of the facility reportedly said the fire started when children allegedly lit an open flame to keep warm, which then spread rapidly through the stalls.
Firefighters were able to halt the advance of the flames using four fire engines, stopping the inferno from consuming other parts of the complex. No injuries or fatalities were recorded, but authorities described the economic toll as severe, with losses estimated at about N800 million.
In the aftermath, the director of the Kano State Fire Service appealed for greater caution, urging residents and operators within industrial and public spaces to adopt preventive measures. He warned particularly against the use of open flames, noting that small acts of negligence can quickly escalate into large-scale disasters.
