Nigeria fire razes 200 shops
2004-12-11 20:20
Kano - Five traders suffered serious burns and 200 shops were burned down when a fire broke out in a central market in Nigeria's northwestern city of Sokoto, a spokesperson for affected traders said on Saturday.
The fire, which broke out on Friday, completely razed the textiles section of the market, with five traders who attempted to battle it being serious burns, the spokesperson Abubakar Buhari told AFP.
He said the fire was believed to have begun "from a spark in an electric generator at the textile section of the market that was kept running for hours due to prolonged power failure".
Power supplies across Nigeria has been very poor for the past month due to what officials attribute to low water level at the main hydro electric power station in the central city of Kainji.
The spokesperson said it had taken five hours for fighters and traders to extinguish the fire, which spread quickly. The injured traders were being treated in hospital.
Officials have not confirmed the fire took place.