By Sunny A. David, Nnewi
A devastating fire has engulfed the popular Nnewi Electrical Market in Anambra State, throwing traders into panic as they scramble to rescue their goods from the raging flames.
The blaze reportedly began in the early hours of Wednesday and quickly spread across multiple shops and warehouses packed with costly electrical materials and spare parts. Witnesses said the fire intensified rapidly due to the highly flammable nature of the items stored in the market.
Several traders were seen in tears as they hurriedly removed whatever goods they could salvage, while others battled thick plumes of smoke in desperate attempts to contain the inferno using buckets of water and sand.
“People are losing everything. We urgently need the Fire Service here,” a distressed shop owner said. “If help doesn’t arrive quickly, the entire market could be destroyed.”
As of the time of this report, the cause of the fire has not been determined. Concerns are mounting over the reported delay in the arrival of the state fire service.
Traders and residents of the industrial town are calling on the state government and emergency agencies to deploy firefighting teams immediately to prevent the blaze from spreading to nearby residential buildings and other parts of the market.
