Fire, in the early hours of Wednesday, December 25, 2024, gutted some shops near the General Post Office in the Onitsha area of Anambra State.
Reports said that the fire destroyed goods and property, including equipment worth millions of naira.
A witness, Chidimma Ike, disclosed that the fire started from one of the shops.
Ike said the residents of the area saw the thick flames spreading to other shops before they mobilised alongside passers-by to put off the fire and rescue goods in the shops.
Ike said that despite several calls to the Anambra State Fire Service, no firefighter came to the scene, adding that residents and passers-by battled to quench it and prevented it from escalating from the shops to other neighbouring structures.
She stated: “Most of the traders and shop owners did not come for business today (Wednesday) as they were at home for Christmas.
“As the fire raged, several calls were made to the fire service but it was residents and passers-by that mobilised to rescue goods and battle the fire for several hours.”
One of the affected shop owners, Chinedu Nnamdi, who is also a resident in the area, said he saw smoke from afar and thought a resident was burning some waste because the shops were closed for the Christmas celebration.
Nnamdi said he was not aware that the smoke was from the fire that engulfed their shops until he received a call from his neighbours about the incident.
The Anambra State Fire Service boss, Chukwudi Chiketa, has yet to speak on the incident as of press time.
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