Tragedy Strikes Gombi as Fire Consumes 19 Shops and 1,900 Bags of Grains
Gombi, the capital of Gombi Local Government Area in Adamawa State, witnessed a devastating fire outbreak on Saturday that destroyed 19 shops and 1,900 bags of various grains in a major grain market.
According to Mallam Umar Nyalli, the Secretary of Gombi Market Union, the fire was caused by a careless smoker who discarded a lit cigarette near a pile of garbage next to the shops.
The fire quickly spread and engulfed the shops, which contained bags of maize, groundnuts, guinea corn, sesame seeds, beans and tamarin fruits. Nyalli said the shop owners have lost their livelihoods and appealed to the government to assist them.
The Deputy Governor of Adamawa State, Professor Kaletapwa George Farauta, visited the scene of the incident and expressed her sympathy to the affected traders. She said the fire was a huge setback for the state's economy and promised to provide relief to the victims.
This is the second major fire incident in Adamawa State in less than a month. Two weeks ago, a wildfire outside the Federal College of Education in Yola, the state capital, razed 10 shops to the ground.
