The timber market in Katako, located in Jos North Local Government Area, has been engulfed by a fire. The fire, which began on Sunday night, destroyed items worth millions of naira, including over 107 stores.
Confirming the fire outbreak to PUNCH in Jos on Monday, Shuaibu Ali, Chairman of the Plateau State Carpenters Association, said the incident has been a regular occurrence at the market.
Ali said, “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 the outbreak isn’t certain.
“Regarding the incident, no one can say directly what caused the fire outbreak because we have a time when we normally close the market.
“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 outbreak 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.”...Read Full Article [Click Here>]
Over 200 people, mostly carpenters, were impacted, and around 107 shops were reduced to ashes.
The Federal Fire Service and other emergency responders assisted in containing the fire, according to Chris, the Chairman of Jos North Local Government, who also confirmed the occurrence.
“No one can say what caused the fire outbreak, but we are investigating the incident,” Chris said.
