Traders count losses as fire destroys Jos market

A fire outbreak has destroyed property worth millions of naira at Laranto Market in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State.

Daily Trust reports that there have been recurring fire outbreaks at the market. Last year, a section of the market was engulfed by fire due to an electrical fault, resulting in destruction of goods, including vehicles.

Our correspondent gathered that the latest incident occurred around 11pm on Sunday after businesses had closed for the day.

It was learnt that people rushed to the market at night to help put out the fire.

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Alhaji Idris Shehu, the chairman of the market, told Daily Trust that the fire had engulfed goods worth millions of naira, adding that the cause of the incident was still unknown.

He said, “About three sections of the market including Timber, second hand clothes and furniture were severely affected. Although We can’t ascertain the exact amount of money lost at this moment, the severity of the damage is indicating that we have lost millions of naira.”

Commenting on the incident, Umar Aliyu, the chairman of the Timber section of the market, lamented that if fire fighter had arrived on time, the losses would have been minimised.

He said, “Shortly after we were informed about the incident, we visited the Township fire service station and reported the matter. However, the officials at the station complained that they lacked diesel to power their vehicles.

“Despite our efforts to persuade them, they refused to respond, citing the diesel shortage. It wasn’t until the Chairman of Jos North and the Commissioner for Water Resources arrived that they called in firefighters from the Government House, who eventually extinguished the fire. If not for their intervention, the incident would have been more disastrous,” he added.