From Fred Itua, Abuja
Goods worth millions of naira were, yesterday, destroyed in a fire outbreak that engulfed Next Cash and Carry Supermarket facility, in Jahi area of Abuja.
Eyewitnesses said when the inferno started, there was no fire service around for almost an hour to put it off, as the fire service facilities in the shopping mall developed a fault.
Looters had a field day while the inferno raged.
But spokesperson for the Federal Fire Service, Mrs Ugo Huan, said firefighters from over three different zones, including the FCT fire service, were at the scene to extinguish the fire.
However, there were no human casualties. The fire started just before the mall opened for business after the Christmas day celebration.
Director, FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Forecasting Response Mitigation, Mrs Florence Wenegieme, at a press conference said the agency received a distress call around 9:45am and a team was dispatched to the location.
Minister of FCT, Muhammad Bello, expressed shock over the incident but commended the FCT Fire Service, Federal Fire Service, Fire Service Departments of the Nigerian Navy, Air Force, Guards Brigade and Julius Berger that responded with their fire-fighting equipment.
He also commended the FCT FEMA, National Emergency Management Agency, security agencies and other responders for their efforts in containing the inferno.
He assured that a thorough investigation would be conducted to ascertain the cause of the fire incident in an effort to prevent a reoccurrence in any other business establishment within the FCT.