By Izunna Okafor, Awka
It was a midnight of losses for some traders at Umukwa, close to Eke Awka Market in Awka State, as heavy fire wrecked havoc on the traders’ shops and wares.
The inferno, which occured at about 1.am on Wednesday, reportedly affected some lock-up shops along the 108 Zik’s Avenue, beside St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Awka, resulting in many losses for the traders.
The intervention of the firefighters from the Anambra State Fire Service, however, helped minimize the extent of destruction caused by the inferno.
Confirming the incident to newsmen on Wednesday, the State Fire Chief, Engr. Emmanuel Chiketa, said they received a distress call at about 1:26am about the outbreak and immediately mobilized their firetrucks and firefighters to the scene, where they battled the fire to a standstill.
According to him, while “about two shops were affected”, the intervention of the firefighters who put off the fire helped prevent it from escalating to other shops, including a nearby fuel station and a kerosene substation, and other multi-million naira structures and facilities around the vicinity.
While noting that no life was lost in the inferno, the Fire Chief further hinted that the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained as at the time of this publication, adding that they left the fire scene at about 4:01.am.
He further advised traders to always switch off their electrical appliances before going home and when not in use, to minimize chances of fire outbreaks.
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