Development Pattern of Minna Traditional Core Area and its Vulnerability to Fire Hazards

Abstract

Fire hazards pose significant threats to urban sustainability in rapidly developing cities, particularly in densely populated core areas with inadequate infrastructure and weak regulatory enforcement. Globally, rapid and largely unplanned urban growth has emerged as one of the defining challenges of the twenty-first century, and nowhere is this more acute than in sub-Saharan Africa, where cities are expanding at rates that consistently outpace infrastructural capacity and regulatory oversight. Within such contexts, fire hazards have come to represent not merely isolated incidents, but systemic expressions of deeper structural vulnerabilities embedded in the urban fabric. This study assessed the development pattern and fire vulnerability of Minna traditional core area, comprising five neighbourhoods: Keteren Gwari, Kwangila, Makera, Limawa, and Sabon Gari. Primary data were collected through structured questionnaires administered to 374 respondents, field observations, and secondary data from Niger State Fire Service records spanning 2021 to 2024. A Composite Fire Vulnerability Index incorporating urban structural variables, fire incidence patterns, and community preparedness indicators was developed and spatially mapped using ArcGIS 10.8. Findings reveal that Sabon Gari emerged as the most vulnerable area, with 74.7% of residents experiencing more than three fire incidents, 81.9% of buildings extremely congested with minimal spacing, and 68.7% of residents unaware of fire safety practices. Electrical faults accounted for over 41% of fire incidents across all neighbourhoods, whilst 91.6% of households in Sabon Gari lacked basic firefighting equipment. The vulnerability map classified Sabon Gari, Limawa, and Keteren Gwari as high-risk zones requiring immediate intervention. The study concludes that fire vulnerability is systematically embedded in the physical structure, behavioural patterns, and institutional failures of the urban system. Key recommendations include enforcement of building codes in high-density areas, quarterly fire safety inspections, community-based public awareness programmes, subsidised provision of firefighting equipment, and integration of the vulnerability map into land use planning and disaster risk reduction strategies.