Popular Ishieke market in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital was on Monday, December 12, gutted by fire.
It was reported that a large portion of the market was completely burnt to ashes by the fire which began around 2am.
Some of the traders who lost their goods to the fire lamented and called for help from the State and Federal governments.
One of the victims of the fire incident, Emmanuel Merit said over 20 shops were destroyed before the fire service arrived and put off the inferno.
The Chief Fire Officer in the State, Raphael Ibiam who confirmed the incident, blamed the fire on a power surge in one of the buildings and warned residents to always put out all appliances they are not using.
Ibiam said;
“We received a distress call around 2:15 am and quickly mobilized to the market. It has already spread to many shops when we got there.
“We managed to control and put it off around 3 am. We are suspecting that it might be a result of a fire surge.
“Traders should try and put off all electrical appliances they are not using. This is the third fire recent that is suspected to have been caused by a power surge.
“Also, we have been advising traders to get fire extinguishers. This will help them to control or even put off the fire before the fire service gets there. But they have always remained adamant about it.
“They should know that it is for their 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.”
