BREAKING: Fire guts multi-million naira shops in popular Onitsha market

A fire outbreak at the popular Iweka Road close to Ochanja market in Onitsha, Anambra State has left several shops worth millions of naira destroyed.

The fire which started at about 8.30 pm on Tuesday, March 25, was said to have razed many shops in the area and destroyed properties worth millions.

Eyewitnesses said the fire broke out when traders and shop owners in the affected location had closed for the day and their shops locked.

The source also stated that while efforts are being made to ascertain the cause of the fire outbreak, officials of the Anambra State Fire Service have also taken control of the situation.

Speaking on the incident, the spokesperson for the Anambra State Fire Service said the unit received a distress call at about 9.40 pm.

Led by the State fire chief, Chukwudi Chiketa said the service deployed its officers to the scene of the incident immediately it got the distress call.

He said, “Immediately, a crew of firemen and firefighting equipment were deployed to the scene of the fire outbreak. They fought gallantly and contained the incident, stopping the fire from further escalation.

“The incident affected four shops, and many others were saved in a two-storey building. These shops contained furniture materials such as leather, foam and others,” Chiketa said.