A fire broke out in the early hours of Friday at the Nkwo Enugu-Ukwu Market Square in the Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State, destroying several shops and valuable goods.
The incident adds to a troubling rise in fire outbreaks across the state, bringing the total to about six within a week.
Recent cases include a petrol tanker explosion near the Ozubulu Local Government Secretariat, which resulted in one death and damaged six shops, last Friday, a factory fire in Nnewi on Wednesday, and another dawn inferno that razed multiple shops in a three-storey commercial building at Nodu Market in Awka South.
Friday’s fire, reportedly starting around 3 a.m., affected provision stores and shops dealing in roofing materials.
Initial findings suggested it was caused by an electrical spark following a sudden power restoration.
A shop owner, who preferred not to be named, attributed the disaster to faulty electrical wiring.
According to him, “Many of us were called in the middle of the night, but by the time we got there, the flames had already consumed some shops and goods before the fire service could completely put it out. The losses are massive.”
The Head of Media and Publicity for the Anambra State Fire Service, Chukwudi Chiketa, confirmed the incident in a statement on Friday.
He said firefighters were deployed immediately after the emergency call came in at 3:43 a.m.
He explained that the crew began extinguishing the fire upon arrival, and early investigations pointed to an electrical surge from an appliance as the source of the blaze.
Thanks to the prompt response of the fire service, the destruction was contained to a single shop, and no casualties were recorded. Firefighting operations ended at 4:46 am.
Chiketa urged traders and residents in the market to carry out thorough checks on their electrical installations to minimise the risk of future fire incidents.
