Traders have estimated that over 200 shops with goods worth over N4 billion were consumed in a fire incident at the popular Timber market, along Wethedral road, Owerri, the Imo state capital on Christmas eve.
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Over ₦4 billion lost in the Owerri Timber Market Fire incident |
The fire was still raging in some parts of the market at about 1.00pm on Monday, despite efforts by operatives of the Federal Fire Service to quench it.
Some of the traders who spoke in Owerri, on Monday said the inferno started at about 1.30am on Saturday, December, 24.
One of the traders, Mr Darlington Chinaza, the Chief Executive Officer of Bekee Global Furnitures, said that about 13 industrial machines, each worth N6 million were burnt, although the actual cause of the inferno was not yet ascertained.
Another trader, Mr Chinemerem Ikerionwu, called on relevant authorities to investigate the cause of the unfortunate incident.
“A customer came here and bought goods worth N7.5 million. He said he was coming this morning to carry them. I don’t even know what he will do now. Will he seek for a refund? If he does that, where will the shop owner get it from?”
Also, another trader who pleaded anonymity, said: “I lost my two industrial machines and other items. We didn’t take out a single pin from the shops. Everything is lost. This is unbearable.
“It is a black Christmas for us. We don’t know where to go from here. Nobody knows the cause of the outbreak. We lost over N4 billion here,” he said.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the Federal Fire Service, Zone “J” (Imo and Abia), Mr Mike Anowa, described the accident as unfortunate.
He, however, said that the actual cause and losses of the inferno were yet to be ascertained.NAN