Causes of Fire Outbreaks at Wuse Market Environments in Abuja, Nigeria: Proffering Architectural and Other Recommendations for Future Prevention

Fire outbreaks in markets in Nigeria have claimed many lives and destroyed valuable properties and goods worth trillions of Naira (millions of Dollars), and this is a problem. To address this problem, research was conducted at Abuja market environments in Nigeria, and the aim was to evaluate what causes outbreaks of fire, so as to generate architectural and other guidelines to minimize their occurrences. Hence, from the available 2,091 shops in the market, a study was conducted on 419 shops using systematic sampling at every 5th interval. Research data from primary sources were gathered by means of direct observation schedules, discussions, questionnaires and interview questions. Data from the secondary sources were obtained via relevant literature reviews for this study. Among the findings are: electrical wiring plus equipment possessed the highest motive behind market fires; storing and sales of petrol in the market cause outbreaks of fire. Among the recommended guidelines are: the authorities that manage Nigerian markets should provide laws that can make the sales people at all times adhere to electrical precautionary standards with regards to market fires; main generator houses that are resistant to fire must be provided for all market sites during the design stage, in order to minimize the sales plus storing of petrol in marketplaces for powering personal electricity generators.