The Chairman of Jos North Local Government Area, J. K. Chris, has stated that the council will investigate the fire incident that destroyed no fewer than 107 shops at the timber market situated in Katako community, Jos North Local Government Area.
According to him, the fire was restricted by the help of the Federal Fire Service and other emergency responders, as no one can say what caused the fire but are still investigating the incident.
Also, it was revealed that the fire started on Sunday night and had destroyed several goods worth millions of naira including over 107 shops within the area.
While speaking with Shuaibu Ali, the Chairman of Plateau State Carpenters’ Association who confirmed that the incident had been a recurring problem in the market.
“Yes, the fire incident is true. I received a phone call around 11:00 pm on Sunday, informing me about the incident. It has been a recurring problem in the market, though the cause of this incident isn’t certain, Ali Said.
Expressing further, he confirmed that no one can say directly about what caused the fire as they normally close the market at the close of everyday activities.
“So, we had closed as usual and on Sunday night, around 11 pm, one of my members called me and told me that there was a fire in the market and we rushed to the market. When we got there, the fire had spread to other areas. No one could even come close because of the heat. So, we called the fire service and the security agents to come to our assistance.” he narrated.
He also disclosed that over 200 persons were affected and a majority of them were carpenters whose shops were burnt down to ashes.
Speaking on the way forward, Sunday Abdu, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency, attested that on Monday evening, the state governor, Caleb Mutfwang, visited the market to find out the situation.
While the governor sympathized with the people over what had happened, he promised to work with the marketers, traders and other stakeholders to see how his administration would remodel the market so that nothing of such happens again.
