Shopping Plaza in Imo State gutted by Fire

Thu, Jan 25, 2018 | By publisher


Politics

 

A SHOPPING plaza in Owerri, capital of Imo state – Umuororonjo Shopping Plaza – was on Thursday, razed down by fire.

The fire outbreak, whose cause had not been identified as at the time of filing this report, was said to have gutted goods worth over N1billion.

The one-storey building which houses the shopping plaza, also has over 40 shops with well-equipped computers, mobile phones and electronics gadgets.

Meanwhile, there was no recorded causality due to the fire outbreak.

An eyewitness, who lives opposite the Mall, said at the scene that the fire started at about 5.10 am.

He stated that all human efforts to quench the fire could not bear positive results.

He said: “We started seeing smoke from one of the shops situated on the first floor of the building. We raised an alarm and people started gathering by that time. All our manual efforts to use water and detergent to quench the fire could not bear fruitful result.”

The eyewitness further said that they got the hotline of the Fire Service in Owerri, but the Fire Service did not respond on time.

“We were there until 8am when more people, including passers-by, gathered but before then the inferno had gutted down the shops.”

One of the shop owners, Mr. Innocent Uche, who sells computer and accessories, stated that he lost over N20 million worth of goods.

The confused Uche, full of tears, further said that he recently got a loan of N15 million from one of the banks with his only big expanse of land in World Bank (New Owerri) area as a collateral.

Crying, he queried: “What type of world is this? Where do I go from here? What becomes my fate from today?”

Another victim, Chief Emeka Iwunze, said that he had over N50 million worth of electronics in his shop.

Iwunze, 60, who said that all his family members fed from the shop, declared that only God that can save his family and him from the unfortunate situation.

“What will I be doing now? My life has changed from worse to worst. How will I get money to re-start my business in this cantankerous Imo state and Nigeria at large? A business I started when I was 32 had gone!” he lamented.

When contacted on phone, the Director of Fire Service Owerri, Mr. Japheth Okoroafor, confirmed that he was called on phone by a group of people on the fire outbreak.

He said, “We have only one serviceable fire fighting vehicle in our office. That vehicle went to stop fire on Tuesday somewhere in Okigwe area but on coming back, it broke down. Since then, I have written memos for the correction of the failed truck but all to no avail. Now that there is another emergency, there is no other fire-fighting vehicle. In fact, the situation is helpless.” – Independent

 

–  Jan. 25 2018 @ 18:00 GMT

 

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