It was lamentation galore yesterday as fire wreaked havoc in Onitsha, the commercial nerve of Anambra State. No fewer than 40 shops were reportedly razed at a section of the popular Relief Market, destroying several goods and vehicles worth several millions of naira.
The fire incident, caused by a fallen tanker bearing substances suspected to be Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) along Obodo-Ukwu road, was the second in the last five days. That section of the road was said to be very deplorable.
Earlier in the week, over 300 corpses were burnt to ashes in a fire incident at the mortuary section of the General Hospital, Onitsha. The incident was closely followed by another inferno at the foodstuff market in Oko, Orumba North local council of the state.
Yesterday’s incident, which occurred about 9.00am, was reportedly caused by loss of control of the vehicle by the driver at a bad portion of the road. He was said to have rammed into a building, spilling its contents, which sparked the fire.
Lamenting the incident, one of the affected traders, Mrs Ngozi Orji, told The Guardian that her goods were “completely razed”, adding: “I was actually on my way when I received a call from someone that there was fire in the market.
“Initially, I thought it was a joke because not all the traders should be in the market by that time, but when I perceived the tick smoke coming from that end of the market, I knew it was true. I could not access my shop because of the thick smoke. This is terrible. This is setting me backwards. I just opened for business last week after the Christmas and New Year celebrations. The truth is that business has not been booming since the beginning of this year. Now this one has happened.”
Another trader, who said she sells tomatoes, onions and pepper in the market, Madam Ijeoma said: “My brother, I am a bit lucky. I said I would restock today since I sold off everything two days ago. This morning, as I was preparing to go to the market, I heard that the entire place was on fire. I came around only to discover that everything had gone. God should have mercy on Anambra State this year.
“I don’t know why it is a story of fire every day. Some days ago, it was a mortuary. The other day, it was another market somewhere. Today, it is here. Nobody can tell the next market. Government should come to our rescue and build a fire station in the markets to save us the trouble of running from place to place anytime there is fire outbreak.”
It was gathered that the traders, on noticing the incident, sought help from the Anambra State Fire Service. The assistance was said to have come late as a greater portion of the market had been consumed by the inferno before the arrival of the fire fighters.
The Anambra State Police Command spokesman, Tochukwu Ikenga, who confirmed the incident, said the petrol tanker was carrying fuel to Obodo-Ukwu when the accident occurred.
“Information reveals that the cause of the fire is as a result of a tanker carrying fuel by Obodo-Ukwu junction along Onitsha river, Owerri road that fell.
“The situation is under control and is closely monitored. The Police and Fire Service are currently on ground there,” Ikenga said.
