A fire incident near the Afor Nkpor Market, along Oraukwu Crescent/Nkpor Old Road in the Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, resulted in the destruction of at least 10 shops and a residential building.
Report state that the fire, which occurred late on Sunday night, was triggered by a power surge originating from one of the shops in the market.
During our correspondent’s visit to the scene on Monday afternoon, victims and some shop owners were observed inspecting the aftermath, while others sifted through the debris in hopes of salvaging any valuables.
An eyewitness near the scene, who identified himself as Bassey, stated, ‘The fire originated from one of the shops on Sunday night. We were at a nearby drinking joint when suddenly we heard a loud noise resembling thunder, and before we knew it, the entire area was engulfed in thick smoke.
“We then rushed out and used sand and whatever that was within reach to try to quench the fire but to no avail as it continued to extend to other shops. We continued in our effort but the fire resisted our efforts.
“For about 30 minutes, we were fighting the inferno but it worsened and by then half of the shops and residential building had been razed completely.
“As we continued the fight, personnel of the state fire service stormed the place and in anger, angry youths stoned them and they ran away with their truck. The firemen were pursued and their vehicle damaged in the process but they managed and escaped with it.”
Also reacting, a resident of the area who pleaded anonymity, said, “God saved the fire service men because the angry youths wanted to lynch them for coming late to the scene of the incident.
“However, the entire shops and a residential building were destroyed beyond recognition as the fire resisted efforts to quench it, it resulted in stampede as it occurred in most of the shops within the premises touched by the inferno.
“Goods worth millions of naira, that were mostly provisions in about 10 shops, POS services, salon, among others, were damaged beyond recognition by the ravaging inferno.
“No life was lost but scores sustained various degrees of injuries as a result of stampede. Gas cylinders stored in some of the shops were said to have escalated the inferno.”
As of the time of compiling this report, victims were assessing their losses and appealing to the state government for assistance.
Attempts to elicit a response from the state fire chief, Martin Agbili, were unsuccessful, as calls and messages to his telephone line went unanswered as of the time of completing this report.