By G9ija
The well-known Ishieke market in Abakaliki, the capital of Ebonyi State, was completely destroyed by fire on Monday morning.
According to reports, a sizable area of the market was reduced to ashes by fire which erupted about two in the morning and damaged millions of dollars’ worth of products.
Many traders who lost their items bemoaned the situation and begged the State and Federal administrations for assistance.
One of them, Emmanuel Merit, claimed that his mother’s shop was completely destroyed in the fire.
According to him: “We sell food stuffs in the market and my mother’s shop was among those burnt”
“I got a call that the market was on fire but before I could get there the shop was already destroyed”
He said over 20 shops were destroyed before fire service arrived and put off the inferno
The state’s chief fire officer, Raphael Ibiam, confirmed the occurrence. He attributed the incident to a power surge in one of the buildings and advised the locals to always turn off any unattended appliances.
Additionally, he recommended installing fire extinguishers to assist put out fires before they get out of control, especially for business owners and traders.
“They should know that it is for their own good. A good extinguisher is about N10,000 N12000. It is better to spend that amount to secure your premises and goods than to lose millions”, he said.
