A fire disaster at the popular Terminus Market in Jos, Plateau State, on Saturday night destroyed over 10 shops despite the swift response of firefighters and emergency teams.
The fire, which apparently started about 10:00 p.m., blasted dense plumes of smoke into the night sky as flames swept over areas of the market, destroying businesses and merchandise.
Silas Lawrenzo, an eyewitness, stated that emergency responders’ rapid involvement helped keep the inferno from growing into a larger calamity.
“Their swift action limited the damage and averted what could have turned into widespread destruction across the market,” he said.
Emergency teams from the National Emergency Management Agency, the Plateau State Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Fire Service, and the Plateau State Fire Service worked together to extinguish the fire.
Lawrenzo confirmed that there were no fatalities in the incident.
However, a visit to the market by our journalist on Sunday morning revealed that several businesses and commodities had been damaged by the fire.
The specific cause of the occurrence had still to be determined at the time of filing this report.
Attempts to contact the general manager of Jos Main Market, Mangnan Yusuf Wamyil, were fruitless since his phone line was turned off.
According to our correspondent, the incident occurred just days after a similar fire broke out last Tuesday at the Plateau State College of Health Technology in Zawan, Jos South Local Government Area, reducing the medical laboratory section to ashes and causing students distress.
