Fire has gutted about 156 shops at the timber and furniture section of Nkwo Ngwa market in Aba South Local Government Area of Abia, leaving many families in grief for their losses.
Okechukwu Lawrence, Chairman of the market traders’ association, told newsmen at the market on Sunday that he was informed about the incident through phone call around 7:00 pm on Saturday.
Lawrence said he rushed to the scene immediately and he and the market’s taskforce members broke its gates to let in sympathisers to help quench the fire, using water from a borehole.
“We tried our best before the Fire Service came in. We used water from our borehole to quench the fire.
“But the hoodlums around later broke the borehole in their bid to steal our pump while the fire was raging.
“That was how I saw it yesterday. The fire was too much and it gulped millions of Naira worth of goods and property.
“We have some building material sellers in all these front shops. The second row of shops is occupied by furniture sellers and dealers in other things.
“We recorded a very big loss here but there was no loss of life or injury,” he said.
Lawrence debunked claims that his members attacked the fire service personnel who came to quench the fire.
The chairman said that it was a group of hoodlums called Aroo Boys who attacked the fire service men.(NAN)
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