Fire Kills Family of Five in Katsina, Residents Blame Power Surge

A pre-dawn fire on Monday claimed the lives of a man, his wife, and their three children in Kofar Sauri community, Katsina metropolis. The incident also destroyed property worth millions of naira.

The victims were Muhammad Habibu, 35, his wife Fatima Muhammad, and their three children: Khadija, Abubakar, and Aliyu. Habibu was a casual staff member of the Katsina State Water Board until his death.

Although the official cause of the fire is still under investigation, residents said it may have been triggered by a power surge that occurred shortly after electricity was restored to the area.

According to a relative, Kasim Aliyu, the fire began around 3:00 a.m. “The head of the household was my younger brother. The fire started from the living room and spread rapidly while the family was asleep. By the time we sensed danger, the inferno had already blocked all escape routes,” he said.

Kasim added that he initially dismissed the disturbance he heard around 3:30 a.m., but later received a call at about 4:00 a.m. confirming the tragedy. “I heard a woman’s voice reciting verses, but I did not realize it was my brother’s family,” he said.

Eyewitnesses said neighbours and first responders struggled to extinguish the fire. A resident, Musa Hamza, said the blaze had engulfed the entire house before people could intervene. “I think by the time the fire service arrived, it was too late,” he said, noting that similar incidents had occurred in the metropolis recently.

The Chief Fire Officer of the Katsina State Fire Service, Rabe Rabiu Kurmiyal, confirmed the incident, saying the fire was put out by his men but insisting that firefighters were not late to the scene.

Some residents blamed the recurring fire outbreaks on persistent electrical fluctuations. They cited frequent outages and the high-voltage return that follows power restoration by the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO). They also referenced other similar incidents in Sabuwar Unguwa, Kwabren Dorowa, and Abbator areas.

While condoling with the bereaved families, the Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Binta Hussaini Dangani described the tragedy as devastating and prayed for the souls of the deceased. She assured government support and urged the public to handle electrical appliances with care.

She added that SEMA staff had conducted an initial inspection of the damage in preparation for providing relief materials.

Responding to allegations of power-related causes, KEDCO’s Regional Manager, Aminu Bukari, said it was unlikely that a high-voltage surge alone could ignite such a large fire in a single household within a densely populated community.

The victims have since been buried according to Islamic rites.