Exclusive: Midnight fire razes 20 shops in Delta

Businessmen and women in Bomadi, Delta State are counting their losses in millions as mysterious night fire brought down 20 shops to a ruin, Our Bomadi Correspondent reports.

The makeshift shops selling various wares including provision, utensils, gas bottles, clothes amongst others were closely built into each other in a stretch located opposite Post Primary Education Board along the Bomadi-Gbaregolo Road were completely destroyed.

Some of the shop owners: Timipere James, Mary Kuroka-Ake, Sunday Enakpo  who spoke to Our Correspondent lamented the huge loss and described the damage as colossal. They said “the fire out-break has brought us to a sudden untold hardship. We got to the scene only to see our shops in flames. We couldn’t rescue any property. All our shops have been reduced to ashes”.

The immediate cause of the fire could not be ascertained as at the time of filing this report. However, it was alleged that the inferno which severely damaged PHCN transmission and distributing lines flying above the roof was said to have started about 2:00am from a food vendor’s shop in a mysterious circumstance and spread to the entire 20 shops without anyone to tame it.  

Mrs. Penaere Azazi who also lost her shop to the inferno, explained that rescue efforts were overwhelmed by the bellow of flames from the burning planks and other inflammable materials further stoked up the raging fire.

Two children: Master Soweto, 14 and his brother trapped in the fire were rescued by a neighbour who heard their cry for help, forced the shop door open for them to escape.

No life was however lost to the incident, just as the victims who were looking confused and devastated appealed to the State Government and the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA to come to their aid.

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