A fire outbreak has ravaged part of the popular Kugbo Furniture Market along the Abuja-Keffi Expressway, destroying several shops and goods worth millions of naira.
The fire, which broke out on Friday morning, swept through a section of the market where traders deal in timber, foams, boards, furniture and accessories, leaving several business owners counting heavy losses.
The blaze reportedly started before most traders arrived to open their shops, with an eyewitness linking the outbreak to an electrical spark after electricity was restored.
Mrs Mary Aniekan, who witnessed the incident, said traders and other people in the market raised the alarm and made frantic efforts to put out the fire and salvage their belongings.
“I was in my shop when we saw the fire and people running to safety, while others were trying to put the fire out but they could not. The fire started when AEDC restored electricity.
“Firefighters came but their water finished and up till now they have not been.able to put the fire out,” she said.
The fire spread rapidly through the affected section, consuming shops, furniture, equipment, woods, foams, boards and other materials before emergency responders battled to contain it and prevent it from spreading to adjoining structures.
The Chairman of the Kugbo Wood Machinist Association, Mr Godswill Ndukwe, confirmed the incident, saying the fire started when most traders had yet to open their shops.
Ndukwe said the exact cause of the outbreak had not been established, but put the value of goods destroyed at about N500 million.
He said, “The fire outbreak this morning is terrible. The fire started when most of the shops were not opened.
“The affected section houses foams, woods, local and foreign boards and furniture accessories.
“We are yet to know the cause of the fire, but goods worth five hundred million were burnt.
“We are appealing to AMAC and the FCT Administration to do something. We have had several of these incidents, and officials will come and make promises, but nothing happens afterwards. Please, let the government help us.”
Traders were seen attempting to recover whatever they could from the remains of their shops, while others stood helplessly watching their businesses and investments go up in flames.
One of the traders, Okechukwu Chilke, who deals in different types of boards, declined to comment as he watched over the remains of his shop.
Although there was no reported loss of life, the inferno left extensive damage in its wake, with affected traders appealing to the government and emergency management authorities to assess the losses and provide assistance to enable them to rebuild.
Ndukwe also lamented the recurrence of fire incidents in the market and urged the Abuja Municipal Area Council and the Federal Capital Territory Administration to take urgent steps to prevent further outbreaks.
The exact cause of Friday’s fire and the total value of property destroyed are yet to be independently confirmed by the relevant emergency authorities.
Efforts to obtain comments from the FCT Fire Service and other relevant government agencies were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
