An 18-room building housing shops and residential apartments on No. 171 Ohanku road, Ihieorji in Aba South LGA near Aba, has been gutted by fire from an unknown source.
The incident which occurred in the early morning of Wednesday, left no part of the building standing, as it consumed wares in a cement and zinc shop, clothing material shop, a furniture shop and an aluminum framing works shop.
The fire also destroyed property and documents kept in other 13 residential rooms in the same building rendering residents helpless and homeless.
Mr. Chukwuemeka Ogbonna, the landlord of the building said they saw fire on one end of their building by around 2 am Wednesday morning.
Ogbonna said he and his siblings tried their best to use water to quench the fire, but each of their numerous efforts appeared to act like catalyst as it increases the intensity of the fire which made them to fear and call for help.
He explained that when their effort could not reduce the raging fire, he had to raise alarm for help and to wake sleeping tenants to ensure they take sleeping children to safety.
He said, “I was able to call the security people around who promised to call their office but before help could come from them, the fire was almost entering every area of the building.
“I had to take my motorcycle to go inform Fire Service office, on my way, I was stopped by military men at a checkpoint on Ngwa road by Ohanku road.
“And when they heard that my house was on fire, they urged me to rush and that they will come to help and when I reached Fire Service office, they followed me.
“But before I could return to the house with Fire Service men, the whole building had been engulfed by fire and I was not able to take out a pin or one Naira.”
An aluminum framing works specialist, Mr. Godwin Oriaku who rented a shop in the house told our reporter that he could not retrieve even a pin by the time he got to the place.
Oriaku said he lost about N2.2 million which includes the cost of his drilling and cutting machines, aluminum products and other goods.
Mrs. Nkechinyere Nwabueze, a tenant of the building said when the alarm raised for the fire woke her up, she was only able to take her six children out of the building.
Mrs. Nwabueze lamented that every money they had and all their belongings went with the fire stressing that the only thing they have are clothes on their bodies.
She called on government and well-meaning persons to help her and her children as they do not have anywhere to even sleep in.
Ezekiel Obasi, a cement dealer said that his shop with fresh goods delivered on March 14 amounting to N2.6 million were all lost.
He said he and his family of three and a pregnant wife needs help to survive this very devastating incident.
Abacityblog reports that the above mentioned victims of the fire and other tenants and shop owners in the building begged government and well-meaning Nigerians to save them from untimely death from shocks of the fire.
They asked for help through giving them with money and other things to start life again with their families.
