By Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
Five shops and a residential building were on Tuesday gutted by fire at Obajana, centre of Obajana cement factory in Lokoja local Council area of Kogi state.
According to our correspondent, no death was recorded but two persons who sustained injury were presently receiving treatment at a hospital in the Community but the building shop were damaged completely by the inferno.
One of the shop owner razed down by fire, Mr. Chukwuebuka Austin said the fire started from one of his neighbor’s shop who deals in gas refilling where people had on many occasions asked the neighbors to stop trading in gas filling in such an area that is clustered.
He said, “I heard that our neighbor came to the shop in the money and saw that one of the cylinders is leaking. Before he could do anything, one of the cylinder began to emit fire. Instead of calling for help immediately, he (the neighbor) was trying to put off the fire by himself.”
“It was when he couldn’t control the fire that he raised alarm. Before one could do anything the cylinder exploded and ravaged the entire shops.”
“I was still at home when someone called me that my shop is burning. When I reached there, I couldn’t go in, because there was no way I could safe anything from the Shop.”
Another shop owner, Aliu Zaki said all his life works was consumed by the fire; wonder how he will survive.
The state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo stopped at the scene of the fire while returning from an official assignment just after the fire fighter from the Obajana Cement Factory put out the fire sympathized with the shops owner and promised that the state government will look into their plight and assist where necessary.
