Fire destroys N3 billion goods in Aba market

By: News Peddlers

Fire incident: Photo credit [Premium Time]

Fire gutted leather products, raw materials, and machines worth over N3 billion in Aba, Abia State, late Saturday night.

The fire destroyed over 30 shops in the Powerline Leather Products Industrial Cluster's Mansion Zone block.

Ugochukwu Nwachukwu, the chairman of the affected block in the industrial cluster, told journalists on Sunday that more than 500 workers were employed in the affected shops.

Mr Nwanchukwu stated that even though the Abia Fire Service arrived from Umuahia about an hour after the fire began, their efforts helped to put out the flames.

A victim, Cherechi Ndukwe, said he rushed to the scene after receiving a call about the incident.

"Before the arrival of the men of Abia Fire Service from Umuahia, we made frantic but futile efforts to douse the inferno with buckets of water."

"The firemen arrived a few minutes after 11:00 p.m. to assist us in extinguishing the raging fire," he added.

Mr Ndukwe requested immediate assistance for the victims, stating that the incident jeopardised their businesses, families, and employees.

Nnenna Onyedikachi, another victim, said the fire destroyed everything they had invested in the business.

Goodluck Mmeri, a former chairman of the Omenka Shoemakers Association, Powerline Zone, expressed disgust that miscreants took advantage of the situation to steal some of the materials and machines.

In addition, Okechukwu Williams, president of the Abia Leather Product Manufacturers Association, bemoaned the traders' massive losses in the face of the harsh economic situation.

He regretted that the state government had yet to re-establish a fire service outpost to handle fire incidents at Ariaria International Market.

Mr Williams pleaded with Governor Alex Otti to reopen the fire station in order to respond quickly to any fire incidents in and around the market. 

(NAN)