A 30-year-old man, identified as Suraja Muhammad, on Sunday lost his life after inhaling smoke during a fire outbreak at a prominent mattress store on Ibrahim Taiwo Road, Kano.
The incident was confirmed in a statement by the Kano State Fire Service, released on Monday by the service’s spokesman, Saminu Abdullahi.
“On January 19, 2025, at about 6:30 p.m., we received an emergency call from one of our staff, SFS Idris Isah Charo, reporting a fire incident at Ibrahim Taiwo Road in Fagge Local Government Area,” Abdullahi disclosed.
He explained that multiple fire stations in Kano were alerted and promptly dispatched to the scene.
However, Muhammad, who was caught in the inferno, was rushed to the hospital before firefighters arrived.
Upon arrival at the location, known as Gidan Alhaji Muhammadu Mai Katifa, the fire service team discovered that the blaze had started on the top floor of the building, which served as a Vita Foam mattress store.
“The fire consumed the mattress store, a shop, and a toilet on the upper floor before spreading downward,” Abdullahi stated.
The first floor, which housed three shops and one toilet, also suffered significant damage, while the ground floor, containing four shops and two toilets, was partially affected.
The flames extended to a nearby building but caused only minor damage, Abdullahi added. Firefighters utilized five jets to bring the blaze under control.
