From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
An early morning fire outbreak yesterday destroyed properties worth millions of naira in a two-storey building located at Akunnia Street, Woliwo Layout, Onitsha, Anambra State.
Though no life was lost in the inferno and the cause of the fire outbreak unknown at the time of filing this report, Daily Sun gathered that the incident happened around 4: 30am yesterday, while residents were still asleep.
A source in the area said the fire affected the last floor of the building and would have spread to the adjoining buildings, if not for the alarm raised by the residents, leading to the arrival of the firefighters who brought the situation under control at dawn.
The State Chief Fire Officer, Chief Martin Agbili, who confirmed the incident, said fire fighters fought gallantly to quench the fire when they got to the scene, though they encountered serious difficulty in accessing the place, owing to the congested nature of buildings and luggages in the area. He said: “At about 0435hrs (4.35am) of today, Monday, 25-07-2022, Anambra State Fire Service, Awka, received a distress call of fire outbreak in a two-storey residential building, at Akunnia Street, Woliwo, Onitsha.
“We deployed two fire trucks and firefighters to the fire scene. The fire was fought, controlled and extinguished with the assistance of the public who were at the scene before our arrival.
“Although the fire affected the last floor of the building, a lot were saved within and around the burning building.
“As of the time of fighting the fire, the cause of the fire remains unknown and there was no loss of life.
“Major challenge encountered was that our fire trucks found it difficult to penetrate the street to the burning building due to how the buildings were structured, with no space for emergency vehicles.
“We left the fire scene at about 0645hrs (6.45am). Fire kills, but you can prevent it,” he cautioned.