SOME traders in Karu market, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Friday, said they lost goods worth millions in the fire incident that occurred on Thursday at about 7pm.
Some of the traders who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in tears, said they don’t know how to manage the fire incident.
One of the affected traders, Alhaji Abdulhadi Abubakar, who is the chairman of the Karu Traders Association, said he was still trying to recover from the shock. According to him, the fire was believed to have resulted from a spark of wire from a shop when power was restored.
Abubakar expressed disappointment over the inability of the Fire Service to put off the fire before it escalated to several shops.
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“I have seven shops and everything was razed down by the fire. Not even a pin came out of my shops. The Fire Service cannot do much due to lack of access road,” Abubakar said.
Another victim, Mr Sunny Mba, popularly called ‘Sunnytex’ who deals in drinks and provisions, said he could not believe that his business which he had been building for years could just vanish.
Mba who sustained serious injury as a result of the flame, said he was trying to recover goods from his shop. He faulted the Fire Service for their inability to respond quickly.
“I sustained severe burn in my right hand, from the flames while trying to recover some goods from my shops. The Fire Service and security guards refused people to go inside the market during the fire.
“I think if they had allowed people to go in, probably, there will not have been so much damage. I have two shops with goods worth over N10 million,” Mba lamented.
Mrs Gladys James, a trader, expressed gratitude to God for preserving some of her goods. She said that she was able to remove some of her goods when people were finally allowed to go inside the market.
“I sympathise with traders who lost everything to the fire incident, while praying that God Almighty replenish every loss,” she said, adding that she could not even account for all her recovered goods, as there was also high rate of theft in the market at the time of the incident.
Mrs Juliet Thomas, a resident of Karu, called on the FCT administration to assist traders that lost all their earnings to the fire incident.
Thomas said her friend offloaded two trailer load of rice a day before the fire incident. According to her, her friend cannot talk at the moment because goods worth over N100 million were destroyed.
However, an official of the Federal Fire Service, Engr. Gregory Eze, Head of workshop, told NAN that in spite of the fact that there was no access road to the market, his men tried their best.
“Our officials had to jumped into the market through the fence, when they discovered there was no access road.
“I am conversant with this area, because I was once an Area Commander here. We have complained several times even before now, about access road in case of any incident.
“Water was never a problem. Our tankers had over 10,000 litres and help came from both military and Julius Berger. In fact, there was over 200,000 litres, but access road was a problem.
“Yes, pipe was used, but the force of water from a distant pipe cannot be compared to the full presence of the truck itself,” Eze said.
Eze, who is also an Assistant Controller in the service, advised those managing the market to look into the market plan and see how access roads could be created to ensure safety.
NAN reports that efforts to speak with the facility Managers of the market proved abortive as their offices were under lock.
There was also an incidence of theft as a teenager was mercilessly and brutally beaten when seen attempting to steal some goods from the victims. (NAN)
