From Ebohon joan
Seven shops were gutted by fire in the early hours of Sunday in Benin City, Edo State, destroying goods and leaving traders facing significant losses. Residents reportedly intervened to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to nearby properties.
The fire broke out at about 3 a.m. along Amen Owie Street, opposite Delano Hotels, off Second Ugbor Road, Abuja Quarters. No casualties were reported, while the cause of the incident and the value of the damaged goods remain undetermined.
Some affected shop owners said neighbours alerted them to the fire after it started. They suspected that an electrical appliance left switched on in one of the shops might have triggered the incident, although authorities have yet to establish the cause officially.
The fire was also reported to have started shortly after electricity was restored to the area by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company.
Recounting the incident, one of the shop owners said, “I got a call from one of the residents that the stores were on fire. I had to be driven there to see what happened. We lost goods and our sources of livelihood.”
Residents reportedly rushed to the scene, forced open the doors of some shops and evacuated valuables in an attempt to reduce the losses. Their efforts were said to have helped stop the fire from spreading to other parts of the neighbourhood.
The shop owners, however, expressed concern over the difficulty they encountered in getting the Edo State Fire Service to the scene, attributing the challenge to the time of the incident.
The extent of the damage and the total value of the goods destroyed have yet to be determined.
