A midnight fire has destroyed property worth billions of naira at the ATD Line Building Materials, Bridge Head Market, Onitsha, Anambra State.
A source said the razed down four shops and affected about eight others. One of the victims, Chigozie Akabuogu, an iron and steel dealer, said, “I got a call in the middle of the night from friends that live close to the market that my shop with goods worth over N35m was on fire. They also told me that not only mine was affected but that of my sister who deals on accessories. Her goods that were destroyed were worth over N25m.”
Another trader who deals on doors, Ikechukwu Benjamin, expressed dismay over the incident that consumed his goods, calling on the government to provide fire hydrants in the market.
Another victim, a saw dust dealer, Godwin Nsofor, who attributed the fire to an electrical fault, lamented that all the woods he sawed for his clients were lost in the fire.
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Reacting, the Secretary of the Amalgamated Timber Dealers Association in the market, Mr Augustine Ezekwugo, described the incident as unfortunate and unexpected, saying they had never experienced such in the market.
He assured that a proper investigation was ongoing to unravel the cause of the incident, while calling on all the traders to ensure they switched off all electrical appliances before leaving the market to avoid a recurrence.
