Fire destroys solar installations at UDUS medical library in Sokoto
2026Published 28 Sept 2026
What happened
A fire in the early hours of Saturday destroyed a section of the Hamidu Ahmed Medical Library at the Teaching Hospital Complex of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. It was reported to have started around 4:00 a.m. Adjoining offices and the library's solar power installations were completely destroyed. Another source said the fire raged for more than an hour before it was brought under control by the university firefighting team and the Sokoto State Fire Service. The main collections and books were not affected, and no significant structural damage was reported. The library was closed to the public for one week for safety inspections.
Contributing factors
The cause had not been officially determined when the report was filed. Some sources attributed the incident to a power surge.
Lessons learned
- Treat a fire that destroys on-site solar installations as an asset incident even when the official cause is still open.
- Keep power equipment separable from occupied rooms so a blaze in one area is less likely to take out both.
- Agree a joint response with the site and local fire services, and keep the building closed until inspections are finished.
Source
Published 2026-09-28. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.