Fire Destroys N300m Property In Oyigbo Market

Property worth over N300 million have been lost at the Oyigbo market, following a fire incident that engulfed the market last Thursday.

A property valuer in Port Harcourt Mr. Victor Ordu has put the value of property lost in the inferno at over N300 million.

The cause of the fire was not ascertained immediately, but there was very high suspicion that the fire had emanated from a kerosene stove that was used for cooking in the market.

An eye witness account said that the fire started from a woman’s shop who had instructed her son to go and light the kerosene stove and in the process, the stove exploded with fire.

According to one Ephraim who is a trader at the market, one of the ladies that operate in the market, asked her son to go and light their stove, and that in the process, there was an explosion which made the boy to abandon the place and run away.

According to the eye witness, the situation got out of hand, as the traders that were present at that time became helpless and made frantic efforts to get help from outside.

He however said that the destruction recorded at the market would have been reduced if fire fighters had arrived the scene of the incident in time.

Ephraim posited that fire fighters from Afam that were contacted could not arrive in time, and this accounted for the huge losses recorded at the market.

He expressed dissatisfaction over the performance, and attitude of some fire fighters in their response to distress calls.

Corlins Walter