Goods and properties worth millions of naira were destroyed when fire gutted over 200 shops at the Ojoto market in the Mile 2 area of Diobu, Port Harcourt on Thursday night.
The incident happened around 9:15 pm when
most of the traders had already closed for the day.
Though the cause of the inferno could not be
ascertained as of the time of filing this report, eyewitnesses said it was from
an electric spark when the public power supply was restored that night.
Some of them also said some people were
cooking in the market which may have ignited the fire.
One of the eyewitnesses, a lady who did not
want her name mentioned, said, “There was no light that night. So as soon as
light came. We saw an electric spark.
“They said some people were cooking inside
the market. So, as soon as that electric spark happened, the fire started in
that shop. Before you know it, there was fire everywhere. All the shops burned
down.”
Following the incident, the area was thrown
into confusion as some of the traders in the market who live nearby raced to
see if they could salvage some of their goods to no avail.
It was gathered that some residents were seen
making frantic calls to family members and friends informing them about the
tragic development.
Speaking to newsmen about the fire outbreak,
the Chairman, Ojoto Market, Arinze Akupue, said nothing was removed from the
market, saying he was at home a few minutes to 10pm when a security man called
him and that there was flame coming out of the market.
Akupue said after discovering it was a fire
outbreak, he put calls across to some people around the market to see what they
can do to put out the fire, while he drove to the state fire service.
He stated that at the state fire service, he
was advised to go to the Federal Secretariat to inform the Federal fire
service, as the state fire service was handicapped.
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