On Tuesday, a fire outbreak destroyed properties worth N150 million at the GSM market, also known as “Kasuwar Jagwal,” in Damaturu, Yobe State.

The Yobe State Fire Service spokesperson confirmed to journalists in Damaturu that the fire had destroyed at least 30 shops.

“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.

Mr 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.

Ali Sheriff, the chairman of the Damaturu Trader’s Association, said traders in the market lost goods worth N150 million.

He corroborated that an electrical fault might have caused the fire.

“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.

Mr Ali said police personnel were also at the scene to assist and prevent hoodlums’ pilfering of traders’ goods.

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 assist the affected traders and mitigate their losses.

(NAN)