By Onome Oghenetega
Shop owners at the popular timber market around the Bonasac area of Asaba, the Delta State capital, have lost goods estimated to worth several millions of naira following late Saturday fire outbreak which razed down the market.
The incident which sources claimed was caused by an electric spark from a cold room situated around the market was put off by men of the Delta State Fire Service after several chains of shops and their property had been destroyed.
The intervention of the firefighters, however, prevented the fire from extending to a neighbouring gas plant and residential buildings situated around the market from being touched.
The market located along the Onitsha/Asaba expressway had closed for the day business activities when the inferno started.
No casualty was recorded aside goods belonging to traders that were razed in the incident that started at about 8pm.
An eyewitness, Mr Chukwuma Opiah, explained that the fire started from a cold room near the market before extending to other stores at the timber market where most shops were touched by the raging fire.
“I was coming back home around 8pm in the night when I saw the fire and everyone running. Some persons at the gas plant opposite the timber market used their fire extinguishers but could not quench the fire until the men Delta State Fire Service came to save the situation.
“If not for their timely intervention, the fire would have gutted the gas plant, hospital and all the neighbouring houses around that area. In fact, it is God that brought the firefighters on time if not, it would have be an untold story.
Speaking on the development, a shop owner at the market, Steve Oliseh said it was not the first time spark from the cold room would be causing fire outbreak in the area.
Oliseh Steve, however, blamed the incident on the failure of the market leadership to have allowed the cold room to be operating such an environment, adding “We have had issues with the cold room several times; it has destroyed the transformer on several occasions.”
The victims, however, appealed to the Delta State government to come to their aide as the inferno have left their sources of livelihood destroyed.
