By Ebere Suzy
A pregnant woman escaped committing suicide when a mysterious fire disaster destroyed 11 shops, property and goods worth millions of naira at Umuisiedo multimillion naira market, Okpuno Egbu, Nnewi in Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The pregnant woman owns one of the shops on attempted to jump into the raging fire while the inferno consumed all her goods.
The fire it was learnt started around 12midnight according to eyewitnesses raged up till 2:30am before sympathisers began to rally support to put it off even though it had already burnt down eleven shops fully stocked with various kinds of groceries to ashes.
The traders alleged that the fire fighters in Nnewi could not respond to their distress call until the Okpoko fire service station came to their rescue when great damage had been done even as urchins in Nnewi were said to have been busy looting the traders’ goods in the confusion.
Chairman of the market , Chief Gilbert Eriobuna said the incident came as a surprise to him. He said he did all he could to salvage the situation once it came to his knowledge even as he released full water tank to fight the fire, but could not stop the fire on time. He however thanked God that no life was lost and appealed to the state government to intervene and assist the victims.
The cause of the fire outbreak was not immediately known, although the traders alleged that security guards in the market indulged in cigarette and other hard drugs smoking which they said were likely to be a source of fire since there was no electricity supply at the market.
One of the shop owners whose goods were all consumed by the fire, Mrs Adinu Mercy said she was a returnee from Kano State because of Boko Haram insurgent’s incessant attack and wondered what cruel fate that has befallen her.
She said her husband sent her and other members of her family to the East for safety only to lose the family’s only means of livelihood to fire.
She said that she was sleeping in her house that morning when someone called her on phone to inform her that the market was on fire and that before she arrived the scene, her shop had been levelled by the inferno.
“I’m helpless. Who will take care of my family? I’m finished,” she cried. She said she replenished her stock two days before the fire incident.
Another shop owner and an expectant mother, attempted to jump into the raging fire but was overpowered by sympathizers who rescued her.
It was gathered that the woman procured loan facilities recently to replenish her stock all of which was lost to the fire disaster. The woman was said to be shouting: “How can I pay my loan, how can I pay my loan.”
But for Mr Chikwendu Nnadi, he said all hope was lost, adding: “Where will I start, where will I end. In fact as I am talking to you now, I’m confused and I don’t know what to do.”
The same applied to Pastor Ihekwaba Cyril whose wife dealt in utensils in the market.
But when the General chairman of Okpuno Egbu Security Organization, Chief Amobi Nnoruka was contacted he said that the security of the market was in the hands of the market caretakers and not directly under him.
