Tears were like water weekend when an early Friday morning fire destroyed goods and property worth millions of naira at Amobi Plastic Market, Onitsha in Anambra.
The raging fire was discovered at about 2:00a.m. at a plaza section of the market, a source close to the market claims.
According to the source, residents, and police officers, assisted to quell the fire using buckets of water until fire fighters from the state Fire Service arrived about 30 minutes later. Some of the items destroyed by the fire included plastic buckets, drums, baskets, chairs and tables, among others.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Kwara, CSP Haruna Mohammed, said there was no reported case of loss of life or injury sustained during the incident.
“Police operatives led by DPO Central Police Station, Onitsha, SP Ifeanyi Iburu, quickly mobilised to the scene and cordoned-off the area to prevent looting and further catastrophe.
“Fire Service was equally contacted and they responded promptly, and the fire was extinguished with the help of fire fighters and other sympathizers in the area,” he said.
Mohammed said investigation was ongoing to ascertain the extent of damage and circumstances surrounding the incident. He advised the public to always apply safety precautions by switching-off all electrical appliances in their homes, shops and work places when not in use to avert such ugly incidents.