A fire outbreak on Friday night razed parts of the palace of the Emir of Jama’a in Kafanchan, headquarters of Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Sources told the News Agency of Nigeria that the affected apartments formed part of the wing occupied by the Emir’s mother.

According to the sources, the fire reportedly started while the family was preparing for the early evening prayers (Magrib), triggering panic within the palace and the surrounding neighbourhood.

When NAN visited the palace on Friday night, smouldering debris was still visible, with clear signs of destruction as sections of the affected building were badly burnt and several household items reduced to ashes.

Residents and sympathisers thronged the palace to express solidarity with the Emir and members of his family following the incident.

Eyewitnesses said officials of the Kaduna State Fire Service in Kafanchan responded to a distress call but were unable to immediately contain the blaze as their pumping machine reportedly failed to start upon arrival.

The development, sources said, hampered early firefighting efforts and allowed the fire to spread, consuming four flats before additional support was mobilised.

Local volunteers were said to have joined efforts to salvage property and prevent the inferno from spreading to other sections of the palace.

Although no casualties had been reported as of the time of filing this report, the incident caused significant damage to property.

The cause of the fire remains unknown, while authorities are yet to issue an official statement detailing the extent of the losses or circumstances surrounding the outbreak.

Residents of Kafanchan described the incident as unfortunate and called for improved emergency response capacity in the area to forestall future occurrences.