A significant fire outbreak occurred at the Kara Quarters Market along Atani Road in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State on Sunday night, causing extensive damage to goods and properties.
According to The PUNCH, the exact value of the loss remains undetermined, but early reports suggest the fire might have been triggered by a power surge.
The blaze, which began around 11:05 pm, took several hours for the state fire service to control, narrowly avoiding damage to a nearby church and factory.
Eyewitnesses reported that the fire started in one of the market shops and quickly spread before firefighters arrived.
One witness recounted, “We suddenly observed that thick smoke was coming out from one of the shops and shortly after, it resulted in a fire. We are suspecting it to be a result of a power surge because it occurred shortly after power was restored in the vicinity.”
The distress call was made at approximately 11:14 pm, and the fire service struggled for hours to contain the flames and prevent further damage.
Although several shops and properties were affected, the fire service’s efforts preserved nearby structures, including a church and factory.
The state fire agency issued a statement on Monday confirming the incident and noting that the exact cause of the fire remains unknown.
The statement included advice for traders and residents to ensure electrical appliances are switched off when not in use, maintain proper wiring and connections, and monitor gas linkages to prevent explosions.
The statement read, “As of the time of filing this report, the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, as none of the dwellers could give account of how the fire started. While the cause of the fire outbreak is yet to be ascertained, some properties were destroyed during the incident, although, there was no loss of life. The traders and dwellers were advised to always switch off their electrical appliances when not in use, fix wirings and connections to avoid power surges, and monitor cooking gas linkages in their homes, to avoid explosion. We consoled those who lost their property during the fire outbreak. There was no loss of life, nor injury recorded. The crew returned back to the station at about 01:30hrs.”
