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From Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
Goods worth over N700 million were destroyed following the fire disaster at Kano Street market beside Onitsha Main Market, Anambra State.
The fire, which started at about 1am yesterday, destroyed two plazas and other adjoining shops along Kano street.
It was gathered that the fire was as a result of electrical upsurge from a cosmetics shop in the storey building in one of the plazas, before it spread to other places. The state fire fighting officials, who arrived promptly, stopped the fire from spreading to other shops, but before then, the fire had destroyed goods such as sacramentals, wines, babies and women’s hair attachment, among others.
A victim, Mr. Osita Nwalor, said his goods worth hundreds of million were destroyed by the fire and called for government and good spirited individuals to come to their aid.
The Chief Fire Officer in Anambra State, Martin Agbili, said the prompt deployment of his men to the scene when he was alerted saved serious disaster.
He said: “The fire started around 1am, and I quickly deployed my men there. They had to fight the fire to a halt and stopped the fire from spreading to the main market, which would have been a major disaster.”
Meanwhile, Governor Soludo has commiserated with victims and owners of the affected shops at the Kano Street, following a fire incident that occurred in the market. Soludo expressed sadness over the incident which left shops and goods razed and the losses incurred.
“I commiserate with the shop owners over the inferno. As a responsive government, we are already on top of the situation, investigating the remote and immediate causes of the fire, as well as the losses incurred with a view to averting a future recurrence of the disaster,” said Professor Soludo.
“Efforts of our emergency responders, like the state fire service, contributed to extinguishing the fire, and I find their efforts heartwarming. I encourage those affected to remain strong and resolute in the face of the extreme loss, as we continue to work with relevant institutions to find lasting solutions to the perennial fire incidents across the state,” the governor stated.
The governor has directed the State Deputy Governor, Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim, in company of the Commissioner for Power and Water Resources, Engr Julius Chukwuemeka, and the Commissioner for Special Duties, Barr Sly Ezeokenwa, to convey government commiseration to the affected victims and leadership of the market.
The governor wishes to use this opportunity to reiterate the need for citizens to adhere to fire safety measures, particularly in this season of the year. However, the Anambra Police Command has said that the fire outbreak at Kano Street part of Onitsha Main Market has been put under control.
The state PPRO, Mr Toochukwu Ikenga, who disclosed this in a statement, said the market was in flames earlier today, destroying goods and properties worth millions of naira. He said preliminary information showed that the cause of the fire was a result of electrical upsurge from a cosmetics store in the storey building. He advised members of the public to always turn off their appliances before leaving the house and offices.
