A late Saturday night fire has gutted leather products, raw materials and machines estimated at over N3 billion in Aba, Abia State.
The fire affected over 30 shops at the Mansion Zone block of Powerline Leather Products Industrial Cluster.
The chairman of the affected block in the industrial cluster, Mr Ugochukwu Nwachukwu said on Sunday that more than 500 workers were working in the affected shops.
Nwachukwu said though the Abia Fire Service arrived from Umuahia about an hour after the fire started, and their efforts helped to douse the inferno.
Mr. Cherechi Ndukwe, a victim, said he rushed to the scene after a call about the incident.
“We made frantic but unsuccessful efforts to douse the inferno with buckets of water before the arrival of the men of Abia Fire Service from Umuahia.
READ ALSO: Fire guts female hostel at UNIBEN
“The fire service men arrived some minutes past 11 p.m. to help us douse the raging fire,” he added.
Ndukwe appealed for immediate help to the victims, as the incident had put their businesses, families, and employees in jeopardy.
“It will be very difficult to survive without the support of Abia and federal governments,” he added.
Another victim, Mrs Nnenna Onyedikachi, said all they had invested in the business had been destroyed by the fire.
A former chairman of Omenka Shoemakers Association, Powerline Zone, Mr Goodluck Mmeri, expressed sadness that miscreants capitalised on the situation to steal some of the materials and machines.
Also, Mazi Okechukwu Williams, the President, Leather Product Manufacturers Association, in Abia, lamented over the huge losses suffered by the traders in the face of the current harsh economic situation.
He regretted that the state government was yet to re-establish a fire service outpost at Ariaria International Market to handle fire cases.
Williams pleaded with Governor Alex Otti to restore the fire service outpost to ensure prompt response to any fire incident in and around the market.
Source: NAN
