Goods worth over N2.5 billion, as well as shops and other valuables, were destroyed as a late-night fire gutted a part of Timber market, Kenyatta Enugu state.
An eyewitness reported that the fire had started after the close of work on Friday, March 2, 2018, and raged into the midnight. The intervention of the men of the State Fire Service could not yield results as the fire continued unabated.
By the time the fire eventually settled, no fewer than 350 shops and 155 machines of different sizes were completely destroyed.
Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, the governor of Enugu State, and the State Emergency Management Agency visited the market late Friday night to coordinate activities of the fire-fighters.
As at the time of filing this report Saturday, March 3, 2018, men of the state fire service were still seen fighting frantically to quench the fire to avoid it being rekindled by the wind.
Shop owners and sympathizers were seen in clusters discussing the tragic development while the younger ones among them were sifting through the debris to salvage any item of value and others assisting the firefighters.
Onugwu Nathaniel, One of the firefighters, said the cause of the fire cannot be immediately ascertained, but said it has been an electrical spark or cigarette butt.
He said arson was unlikely given that the timber traders had a good network of internal security within the market.
The fireman said the State Fire Service was already on the ground when the fire started as they have a unit on the market.
“We were already on the ground, we have a post here. When the fire started and we saw the magnitude we alerted the state headquarters, the government house and other units. Enugu Fire Service has enough firefighting trucks, what we require is more personal, we don’t have enough manpower like drivers etc,” he said.
A trader at the timber shed who gave his name as Mr. Amaechi estimated the damage to be in the region of N2 billion.
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