The Kano State Fire Service has confirmed a fire outbreak at the popular Vita Foam Plaza on Ibrahim Taiwo Road, Yan Kafifa, in Fagge Local Government Area.

This was contained in a statement signed by the agency’s Public Relations Officer, ACFO Saminu Yusif Abdullahi on Monday.

According to the statement, the incident occurred on Sunday, January 19, 2025, at around 6:30 PM.

The fire service disclosed that it received an emergency call from one of its staff members, Idris Isah Charo, about the blaze.

Firefighters from several metropolitan stations were swiftly mobilized and arrived at the scene within minutes.

“On arrival, we found that a house popularly known as Gidan Alhaji Muhammadu Mai Katifa, used as a mattress store, was on fire,” Abdullahi stated.

“The fire started on the last floor of the building, which caused the burning of a mattress store, one shop, and a toilet. It then spread to the first floor, damaging three shops and one toilet, and extended to the ground floor, where four shops and two toilets were slightly alight.”

The statement added that the fire also affected a neighboring house, causing minimal damage.

During the incident, a 30-year-old man, identified as Suraja Muhammad, was suffocated by smoke and was rushed to the hospital for medical attention before firefighters arrived.

“The cause of the fire and the estimated value of the properties lost are currently under investigation,” Abdullahi noted.

Fire ravages mattress store, others in Kano