Fire guts section of Onitsha Market

Fire has gutted a section of the Onitsha Market, causing traders to lose goods worth millions of naira. The affected part of the market served as warehouse for fabrics. The cause of the inferno is still unknown as at the time of filing this report.

An eyewitness reportedly said that some traders had illegally converted the burnt section from what it was originally, thereby contravening safety standards.

“The place (the burnt section) was supposed to be a motor park and an emergency exit but the people blocked it with illegal structures through the approval of some government agencies.

“Even when the fire service will come, there might not be entry point where they could enter easily to start battling the fire, even the traders could not enter to salvage their items and this has made the fire to continue to rage,” the eyewitness said, in a PUNCH report.

The police in the state said the situation was being closely monitored. TheCornet reports that there has a spate of market fires in different parts of Nigeria in recent times. These include fires in Maiduguri Market, Borno; and Akere Market, in Lagos.

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Details later…