A fire outbreak at Eda Plaza, a building materials market opposite Chida Hotel in Jabi, Abuja, destroyed several shops and goods worth millions of naira in the early hours of Sunday, August 30, 2026, with one trader putting the value of roofing materials lost at more than ₦20 million.
The Federal Fire Service confirmed that it received a distress call about the fire at 2:46 a.m. on Sunday, according to its National Public Relations Officer and Head of Corporate Services, Deputy Controller of Fire Paul Abraham.
Abraham said the Federal Fire Service responded alongside the FCT Fire Service, with firefighters from the Wuse, Interior Ministry and Garki stations deployed to fight the blaze.
The fire was brought under control at about 10:14 a.m., when a stop message was issued, according to the Federal Fire Service spokesman.
An eyewitness told the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) that the alarm was raised at about 3:00 a.m. after a relative who owns shops at the plaza received a call from a colleague that the market was on fire. The eyewitness said the fire had already spread extensively by the time they arrived.
The eyewitness said the relative had two shops and a packing store at the plaza, but only one of the shops was saved. The other shop and the packing store were destroyed by the fire.
He estimated the value of roofing materials destroyed at more than ₦20 million, adding that some of the materials had only been restocked the previous night.
The full number of shops affected and the total value of goods destroyed were not immediately available as of Sunday morning.
Despite the heavy losses, the eyewitness said no life was lost in the incident. No injuries had also been reported as of the time of the report.
The cause of the fire remained unknown as of August 30. Abraham said the Federal Fire Service had begun investigations into the remote and immediate causes of the fire.
Authorities are expected to assess the full extent of the damage as affected traders begin counting their losses.
