A midnight fire outbreak has destroyed more than 500 makeshift shops at the Terminus Market, Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau.

Mrs Joyce Ramnap, the State’s Commissioner for Information and Communications, confirmed the incident to newsmen on Wednesday in Jos.

Ramnap, who visited the scene, said that the incident occurred about midnight on Wednesday.

The commissioner promised that the government would investigate to unravel the cause of the inferno.

“From eyewitness reports, particularly from the leadership of the market, we gathered that an electric spark may have caused the fire outbreak.

“But we are not going to leave it at that; we will investigate to ascertain the root cause of the outbreak.

“This is unfortunate because more than 500 shops have been destroyed; this is a huge economic loss to the state,” she said.

Ramnap, who commiserated with the traders, however, called on residents of the state to desist from spreading falsehoods about the incident on social media.

Chairman of the market, Mr Mustapha Ibrahim, who decried the huge losses incurred by the traders, called for government intervention to ameliorate the plight of the affected traders. (NAN)