Goods Worth Over ₦‎300 Million Burnt to Ashes In Anambra Market

 A call for help as a section of the popular Nkpor main market in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra state, close to the commercial city of Onitsha was razed down by fire as traders count their losses, following the sad incident.

According to sources, fire sparked off at about 2 a.m. in the early hours of Wednesday and brought down over 30 shops before the traders could mobilize themselves and put it off at dawn as no fire service was handy.

In a confirmatory state issued by the Chairman of the market traders association in person of Chief Paul Okafor to newsmen in his office on Wednesday, He regrettably state that in the early hours of the morning that the fire exploded from a cold room shop and spread to other nearby shops.

Okafor whose own wine shop was also among the shops destroyed in disastrous turn of event by the inferno, said the fire affected shops loaded with paints, curtains, gum, shoe leathers, shoe polish, wines, hot drinks, thinners, among others. In addition, he stated that although as at present the final estimate of the total goods damaged have not been determined, a rough sketch showed that the value of burnt goods would not be less than N300 million.

He lamented how the community had to mobilise to put out the fire despite calls to the relevant institutions.
 

On that note, he reiterated the need for the state government to station some fire fighter vehicles under the flyover bridge at Nkpor main market to serve the three major markets within the vicinity, including New Auto Spare Parts Market, Mercedes Benz Lorry Okd Spare Parts Market, New Tyre Market and the Main market in any fire incident.

He also called on the state and Idemili North local governments and pblic spirited individuals and groups to come to the aid of the affected traders in order to bounce back to business as soon as possible.

Sympathizing with the traders, a patron of Anambra Markets Amalgamated Traders Association, ASMATA and President of Building Materials Traders Association, Chief Jude Nwankwo, expressed his heart felt sympathy for the victims, also called on government and individuals and groups to assist the victims.

Nwankwo suggested that market leaders should provide fire extinguishers in their various markets to mitigate the effects of fire disasters particularly at nights, using their night guards to operated the fire extinguishers if fire broke out at nights, while waiting for fire service men.