Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Traders at the Ogbogonogo Modern Market, a major foodstuff market along the ever-busy Nnebisi Road, Asaba, Delta State capital, are counting their losses as a result of an early morning fire that gutted a section of the market.
The inferno which was said to have started at about 7.am consumed the entire livestock section and a section of the tailoring materials.
Chickens, goats and other livestock were roasted while sewing machines, tailoring items and other goods worth millions of naira, were lost to the raging fire.
As of the time of filing this report, there was no human casualty, ostensibly as the daily market is usually closed every Tuesday since the outbreak of COVID-19.
But caution was thrown to the wind as efforts to put out the fire intensified. Social distancing, a major practice for preventing the spread of COVID-19, was not observed, as people clustered to assist to prevent the fire from spreading to other parts of the market.
Although the cause of the inferno was not yet known, sources at the market attributed it to an electrical fault which sparked from a section where mobile phones and accessories are sold.
Traders at the affected section of the market wailed as sympathisers made anxious efforts to salvage what was left when our correspondent visited.
One of the affected traders said “I am finished! All my sewing machines are gone. Even materials that I collected from customers all got burnt in the shop.”
“An eyewitness sympathised with the affected traders saying that most of them were now “using their tooth to count their losses as the fire razed shops and goods along the Nnebisi road.
“The first state fire service truck that came to rescue the situation ran out of water while the fire was still on.
“As at 9:26am, the fourth fire service truck arrived while Good Samaritans were serving water from the gutter to quench the fire but to no avail.”
The eyewitness said that angry traders almost lynched a police officer at the scene as people were scampering for life and trying to salvage their goods but were prevented from having a free-for-all.
The source disclosed that the fire spread ostensibly because of the closeness of shops to one another, a development which the source said made it difficult for the fire fighters to gain access into the market to battle it.
Incidentally, our correspondent gathered that the state government had through the Delta State Capital Territory Development Agency, issued a three-month ultimatum to the traders to vacate the area and secure spaces inside the main market.
Director General of the agency, Mrs. Amaechi Mrakpor was said to be one of the early callers while the fire was still raging to sympathise with affected traders. She however kept mute during the visit.
Chairman of Oshimili South Local Government Area, Comrade Uche Osadebe who later came to the scene, had demanded the services of an excavator to clear the burnt shops to enable the fire service truck gain access into the market in order to put off the fire completely.