By Chuks Eke
Wooden doors, planks and various types of machines worth millions of naira were on Saturday night ravaged by fire at timber market popularly called Ogbo Osisi market, one of the 27 union under the Bridgehead Markets Amalgamated Traders Association, BMTA.
The incident which started at about 8 p.m. in one of the large shops jointly shared by about 28 timber dealers,according to the Chairman of BMTA, Hon.Chinedu Ezekwike, started from a spot and spread round.
However, Ezekwike noted that a functional water borehole located inside the timber market assisted the traders to control the inferno before the arrival of fire service men from Anambra state fire service who struggled to put it off.
On the source of the incident, Ezekwike noted that the fire might have been ignited by some sparkling tongues of fire from the smoothing machines used in smoothening some finished wood products like doors and chairs.
He it was suspected that the tongues of fire fell into a heap of wooden dust in the day time and gathered momentum at night with the assistance of the harmattan.
He commiserated with the victims and called on the state government to assist them in getting back to business soonest.
The State Chief Fire Officer, Martin Agbili who confirmed the incident to newsmen on phone, said he immediately dispatched his men as soon as he got a distress call from members of the public.
