A fire outbreak occurred at a residential building along Nkisi Aroli Street, behind St. Charles College, in Onitsha, the commercial capital of Anambra State.
According to reports, the fire which broke out on Tuesday, raged for several hours before firefighters arrived. Their efforts were hampered by poor access roads and the challenging terrain of the area.
While no casualties were reported and the cause of the fire remains unknown, the blaze destroyed the building along with some of the property inside.
An eyewitness and resident near the scene said, “The fire suddenly started from a corner of the building on Tuesday and quickly spread to other parts. It burned for several hours before firefighters arrived. They also struggled to access the area due to the poor road network.”
“The firefighters added additional hoses to their equipment before they were able to battle the fire from a distance of about four poles.
“The incident created panic around the vicinity, especially for residents nearby because of the closeness of the houses as everybody was on red alert and also assisting the firefighters to ensure the situation was under control.”
The Anambra State Fire Service, through its Media and Publicity Unit, confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Wednesday. According to the State Fire Chief, Chukwudi Chiketa, two teams of firefighters, along with two fire trucks, were deployed to the scene following a distress call.
Chiketa said, “Anambra State Fire Service on Tuesday, June 17, intervened and contained a fire outbreak at a residential building located at the No. 12 Nkisi Aroli Street, behind St. Charles College, Onitsha, in Anambra State.
“After the distress call was received, immediately, two crews of firemen and two firefighting trucks were deployed to the scene of the incident.
“Though the two firefighting trucks could not get to the scene of the fire due to the blockage of roads by houses crowded in the area, yet the firefighters did their best by adding over five lengths of hoses, about four poles from the scene.
“There was no casualty recorded, and the cause of the incident is not yet ascertained. The firemen departed the scene at 12:05 hours of the same day.”
The fire chief advised landlords and house owners, as well as community leaders, to always consider and ensure access roads for free flow of vehicular movement, especially firefighting trucks in any case of emergency.
“The firemen’s experience at the scene is highly condemnable as a lack of access roads for firefighting trucks led to much damage, even when firefighters arrived at the scene on time.
“While the Firemen are diligently and gallantly serving the people, the people should as well assist in providing free access roads and security for the Firemen,” the statement added.
