Fire guts shops in Umuahia, goods worth millions destroyed

Goods with millions of naira were destroyed in a fire incident that happened in Umuahia, Abia State capital on Sunday.

The fire which occurred at Cameroun Street by Owerri Road, near Isi Gate market, started at about 3:30 am, according to official report from Abia state Fire Service.

During the inferno, seven shops fully stocked with bags of rice, bags of beans, corn, garri, dawa and other food items were destroyed.

Only a few items were salvaged by the owners as most of the goods were gutted by fire by the time the flames were controlled.

It was not yet established what sparked the early morning fire but one of the victims of the disaster who did not want his name in print described the development as strange and confusing.

“It is hard for me to understand how and where the fire started. This damage is too much for me to bear considering my goods that were burnt by fire,” the victim sobbed.

When contacted by newsmen T on Monday, the Controller and Chief Fire Officer of Abia State Fire Service, Mr Arua Nnanna, said that the officers from his office collaborated with Federal Fire Service in Umuahia to put out the fire.

Nnanna who said that two officials of Abia State Fire Service sustained different degrees of injuries while controlling the fire, said that it was the dedication of fire fighters that prevented the inferno from spreading to other nearby shops and residential buildings.

He added that information was not given to his office early enough by the victims.

“Yes, I confirm that there was fire outbreak. We received alert from the victims at Owerri Road and we immediately mobilized to the place. They did not notify us early enough despite the fact that our phone number is available and the proximity of the place to our office.

“But on arrival, we were able to control the fire and also prevented it from spreading to other shops and buildings,” said Nnanna.

He said that investigation is on to establish the root cause of the fire outbreak.

Also, a senior official of Federal Fire Service in Umuahia confirmed the incident.