Traders at the old Panteka Market in Kaduna metropolis are counting their losses, following a fire incident that gutted the timber section of the market at 3am yesterday. The fire razed down hundreds of shops which were reduced to ashes, even as eye witnesses said not less than thousands of shops were affected and billions of naira worth of products destroyed. The cause of the fire was not immediately known, even as some of the traders believed that it might have been caused by an electrical fault. As at the time our correspondent visited the scene traders affected by the incident said they could not salvage anything from their shops, as many were seen wailing and bemoaning their losses. Speaking on the development, Executive Secretary of the state Emergence Management Agency (SEMA), Ezekiel Baba Karik, said the timber section of the market was completely razed down. He, however, attributed some of the losses partly to the activities of hoodlums, who according to him, started attacking fire fighters on arrival at the scene of the incident. Karik said one of the drivers was wounded and the vehicle he was driving fell into a nearby ditch, thereby compounding the fire situation. He accused the hoodlums of looting shops and preventing the fire fighters from doing their job. According to him although the incident was said to have occurred at about 3am, he was informed around 4am when he received a distressed call from the area. Tears In Kaduna As Fire Razes Shops Worth Billions To Ashes By Unknown Saturday, December 2, 2017 Share Tweet Share Share Email Traders at the old Panteka Market in Kaduna metropolis are counting their losses, following a fire incident that gutted the timber section of the market at 3am yesterday. The fire razed down hundreds of shops which were reduced to ashes, even as eye witnesses said not less than thousands of shops were affected and billions of naira worth of products destroyed. The cause of the fire was not immediately known, even as some of the traders believed that it might have been caused by an electrical fault. As at the time our correspondent visited the scene traders affected by the incident said they could not salvage anything from their shops, as many were seen wailing and bemoaning their losses. Speaking on the development, Executive Secretary of the state Emergence Management Agency (SEMA), Ezekiel Baba Karik, said the timber section of the market was completely razed down. He, however, attributed some of the losses partly to the activities of hoodlums, who according to him, started attacking fire fighters on arrival at the scene of the incident. Karik said one of the drivers was wounded and the vehicle he was driving fell into a nearby ditch, thereby compounding the fire situation. He accused the hoodlums of looting shops and preventing the fire fighters from doing their job. According to him although the incident was said to have occurred at about 3am, he was informed around 4am when he received a distressed call from the area. No comments Comment Here
