Two separate fires tore through different parts of Kano State on Monday, striking an Access Bank branch in the morning and a residential home in the evening — leaving investigators working to establish causes at both sites.
The Kano State Fire Service confirmed the first blaze was reported at approximately 1:17 pm at the Access Bank premises in Dawanau, Dawakin Tofa. A resident named Mr Michael placed the distress call, and crews from the Dawanau Fire Station moved quickly to the scene. What they found was a one-storey building — measuring roughly 100 by 80 feet — already engulfed. The fire destroyed a generator and partially damaged a nearby electrical transformer before firefighters brought it under control. The cause remains under investigation.
Less than five hours later, Kano was dealing with a second emergency.
At around 6:19 pm, another fire broke out at Sabuwar Gandu in the Sheka Gari area of Kumbotso Local Government Area. Crews from the Sharada Industrial Area Station responded to find a ground-floor residential building of approximately 40 by 30 feet already alight. The Public Relations Officer of the Kano State Fire Service, Saminu Yusuf Abdullahi, said the blaze ripped through two bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen before being extinguished using jets from the Sharada Fire Truck, with additional support from nearby factories. That cause is also under investigation.
A Warning Kano Residents Should Take Seriously
Following both incidents, the Director of the Kano State Fire Service, Alhaji Sani Anas, issued a public appeal urging residents across the state to remain alert and adopt basic fire-safety habits as a matter of routine — not reaction. He called on households and businesses alike to keep functional fire extinguishers on their premises at all times.
Two fires in a single day is not a coincidence to brush aside. Whether the causes turn out to be electrical faults, negligence or something else entirely, the pattern underscores a persistent vulnerability in how homes and commercial buildings across northern Nigeria manage fire risk. Kano’s fire service responded promptly on both occasions — but prompt response only limits damage. Prevention is the work that happens before the call is made.