A fire has destroyed 10 shops at the Katsina Central Market, also known as Fatima Baika Market, in the early hours of Tuesday.
Traders at the market suspected that the blaze may have been caused by a solar-powered inverter, which they believe triggered the fire before it quickly spread to nearby stalls.
The incident was confirmed by the Katsina State Fire Service spokesperson, Katsina State Fire Service, Rabe Audi, who said emergency officials received a distress call shortly after the fire started and immediately rushed to the scene.
According to him, the quick response of firefighters helped stop the fire from spreading further into other sections of the busy market.
He added that while 10 shops were completely destroyed, about seven nearby shops and several goods were successfully saved from the flames.
The affected shops were said to contain food items, drinks, textiles, curtains, and other household goods. A Peugeot 406 car was also rescued from the fire.
Rabe Audi said the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, but warned traders and users of solar inverter systems to ensure proper installation and regular maintenance to avoid similar incidents in the future.
He also assured that a full damage assessment will be carried out to determine the total losses recorded in the market.