A late-night fire on Tuesday razed a section of the Jos Main Market, popularly known as Terminus Market, destroying several shops and goods worth millions of naira in Plateau State.

An eyewitness said the inferno started at about 9.00pm, triggering panic among traders and residents in the area, which is regarded as the bustling commercial nerve centre of the state, attracting traders from other states.

The General Manager of the Jos Main Market Authority, Mr. Mangna Yusuf Wamyil, said that the operatives of the Plateau State Fire Service responded promptly to the distress call, which succeeded in containing the inferno.

According to Wamyil, the swift intervention of the fire service prevented the fire from spreading to other sections of the market.

He said, “Men of the fire service are on the ground and have put out the fire. At the time of this incident, we cannot ascertain the exact cause of the fire or the extent of the damage.”

The General Manager further explained that a comprehensive assessment would be carried out after preliminary investigations to determine the exact number of shops affected and the value of goods destroyed.

The market was first significantly destroyed by a major fire outbreak in February 2001, which razed the indoor complex, leaving thousands of traders counting their losses.

The 2001 fire destroyed what was then regarded as West Africa’s largest indoor market, forcing traders into makeshift arrangements that lasted for many years.

Other fire incidents were recorded in the market in 2018 and in April 2025, during which several shop owners lost property estimated at millions of naira.

The market authority’s boss pleaded with the traders to remain patient and calm as investigations into the root cause of the inferno continue, adding that measures would definitely be put in place to avert future occurrences.