Some residents of No. 11 Chukwuogor Street Amikwo, Awka, the Anambra State capital, have been rendered homeless and property destroyed in a fire outbreak that occurred at the top floor of the one-storey building on Thursday.
Although no life was lost, it was gathered that the fire was a result of a power surge from one of the apartments.
Some eyewitnesses said the inferno which started at about 11:40 am lasted several hours while occupants and passers-by made efforts to put it out before the intervention of the men of the state fire service.
A video trending on social media showed the occupants of the house and some neighbours trying to salvage some of their properties from the building, while the fire, continued to rage.
The Anambra State Fire Service Chief, Martin Agbili, who confirmed the incident on Friday, said the fire started at about 11:30 am on Thursday.
“At about 11.33 am on Thursday, the Anambra State Fire Service received a distress call of a fire outbreak in a residential home of one storey building at No. 11 Chukwuogor Street Amikwo, Awka.
“Immediately, we deployed our fire truck and gallant firefighters to the scene. The fire was fought, controlled, and extinguished. The ground floor of the building and other nearby buildings were saved while its first floor was completely damaged.
“A lot would have been saved if we were contacted in time. The cause of the fire was a power surge and there was no life was lost.
“We withdrew from the fire scene after the fire had been extinguished. Always switch off your electrical and electronic appliances whenever you are leaving your home, office, market, church, and mosque among others.”
Thursday’s incident came less than 24 hours after a part of the building housing the Dunukofia Local Government Area secretariat in Ukpo, Dunukofia, Anambra State was gutted by fire.
It was gathered that the fire outbreak was a result of bush burning close to the local government secretariat.
Two separate fire outbreaks were also recorded at the Timber Market in Nnewi and behind the Sinai Gas Plant in Awka, the Anambra State capital.
The fire, which occurred at different times on Tuesday, raged for hours but was controlled by the intervention of the men of the Anambra State Fire Service.
