A fire outbreak that occurred at Main Market in Onitsha North Local Government Area of Anambra State has burnt some shops and destroyed property worth millions of Naira.
Main Market is in the commercial hub of Anambra, Onitsha and is one of the largest markets in West Africa based on its size and volume of goods traded.
Sources within the market, particularly a trader who identified himself as Obi Barth Ifediora, who confirmed the incident, said that two blocks of shops in Kano Street of the market had already been burnt down.
According to the sources, the cause has not been established. However, they noted that the fire started at about 1 am on Monday, adding that the raging fire defied efforts made by firefighters from the state fire service to put it off.
Confirming the incident, the Director/Chief Fire Officer of Anambra State Fire Service, Engr. Martins Onyedịkachukwu Agbili, said he promptly deployed his men to the scene of the incident when he received a distress call about it.
“The fire started around 1 am, and I quickly deployed my men there. So far, they have gone to refill the fire trucks with water twice, and our men have gone to refill a third time,” Agbili said.
As of the time of filing this report, the level of destruction caused by the fire has not been ascertained. It could also not be ascertained if there was any casualty.
