A midnight fire has razed many shops and destroyed goods worth millions of naira at the popular Jos Main Market in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State.

Nigerian Tribune learned that the fire incident started at about 12:32 a.m. on Wednesday from a section of the market and spread to other parts before men of the State Fire Service arrived at the scene.

The Chairman of the Jos Main Market Traders Association, Mallam Mustapha Ibrahim, who said the cause of the inferno might be attributed to a power surge, added that the committee to be set up by the state government should be able to ascertain the main cause of the fire.

He disclosed that during the fire, which raged for more than three hours before it was extinguished, goods including clothes, food items, and several others were burnt to ashes.

Meanwhile, the state government, in a statement signed by its Commissioner for Information and Communications, Hon. Joyce Lohya Ramnap, expressed deep sympathy and sadness over the unfortunate fire incident, which gutted several stalls and destroyed goods worth millions of naira.

The statement reads: “The unfortunate fire outbreak is a devastating blow to the state’s economic hub, and we share in the grief of those who suffered losses. We commend the bravery and swift action of the fire services and other volunteers who were involved in putting out the fire.”

She, therefore, called on all market stakeholders to work together in prioritizing safety and implementing necessary measures to avoid a recurrence of such unfortunate events.

The Commissioner further urged the traders to continue maintaining the prevailing peace in the state despite the hardship they might be experiencing as a result of the inferno.

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