Fire guts Yobe GSM market, destroys properties worth N150m

• At least 30 shops were destroyed by the fire

Properties estimated to be worth N150 million, on Tuesday, were destroyed by fire at the GSM market, popularly called “Kasuwar Jagwal,” in Damaturu, Yobe.

Confirming the incident to journalists in Damaturu, the Public Relations Officer of the Yobe State Fire Service, said that no fewer than 30 shops were destroyed by the fire.

“At about 5:50 a.m. this morning, we received a distress call notifying us of the incident. A few minutes later, our team arrived at the scene, but a lot of damage had already been done at the time,’’ he said.

Bello added that investigations revealed that the fire was caused by a surge in electricity supply to the area.

He advised members of the public to always switch off electrical appliances and unplug their cables from power sources before going to sleep or closing their shops for the day.

Alhaji Ali Sheriff, the Chairman of the Damaturu Trader’s Association, also said the fire might have been caused by an electrical fault.

“It was early this morning that I received a call about what was happening, and we quickly rushed to the scene.

“Then, there were about three shops that were on fire. The firefighters were there, but their water pump was faulty, so they could not put out the fire,” he explained.

Ali said that police personnel were also there to assist and prevent the pilfering of traders’ goods by hoodlums.

Also, one Yahya Ngubdo, a trader of sorghum in the market, said traders in the commodity lost a total of 130 bags as a result of the incident.

He called on the state government and well-meaning individuals to come to the assistance of the affected traders and mitigate their losses.