Fire guts sections of Abbatuwa Cemetery in Kano

A fire outbreak on Wednesday razed parts of Abbatuwa Cemetery in Fagge Local Government Area of Kano State, destroying sections of the burial ground.

The incident occurred at about 2:02 p.m. after the Kano State Fire Service received a distress call from a resident, Bashir Hassan. Firefighters from the agency’s headquarters were immediately dispatched to the scene.

According to the fire service, dry grasses within the cemetery fuelled the blaze, causing it to spread rapidly across parts of the premises before it was brought under control.

Confirming the incident in a statement on Thursday, the Public Relations Officer of the Kano State Fire Service, Saminu Abdullahi, said the prompt response of firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to other areas of the cemetery.

“Although the fire was successfully contained, several parts of the cemetery were badly affected,” Abdullahi said.

He added that no casualties were recorded during the incident.

Preliminary findings by the agency suggest that the fire may have been caused by human activities. Abdullahi cautioned members of the public, especially smokers, against smoking or using naked flames within cemeteries and other areas with dry vegetation.

“We urge residents to avoid actions that could ignite fire in such environments to prevent a recurrence,” he said.

The Kano State Fire Service reiterated its commitment to safeguarding lives and property across the state and encouraged residents to promptly report fire incidents to the agency.