Scores of traders at A. T. D line Building Materials, Bridge Head Market, Onitsha, Anambra state have suffered significant losses due to a devastating fire that broke out in the market during the midnight hours.
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Eyewitnesses reported that the fire completely destroyed four shops and impacted around eight others.
Chigozie Akabuogu, an Iron and steel dealer, shared his harrowing experience, revealing that he and many others were still trying to assess the extent of their losses.
Akabuogu himself lost goods worth over N35 million, while his sister, Onyinyechi Ezekwu, who deals in accessories, lost goods worth over N25 million.
The fire also tragically consumed the N1 million cash that Akabuogu had left in his shop.
The incident has left the traders devastated, and they are now calling on the government to install fire hydrants in the market to prevent such incidents in the future.
Godwin Nsofor, a sawdust dealer, attributed the fire outbreak to an electrical fault and expressed his sorrow over the loss of all the woods he had prepared for his clients.
Augustine Ezekwugo, the Secretary of the Amalgamated Timber Dealers Association, described the incident as unfortunate and unexpected, as the market had never experienced such a devastating fire before.
He assured the affected traders that a thorough investigation would be conducted to determine the cause of the fire.
