EARLY MORNING FIRE DESTROYS PALM KERNEL FACTORY, SHOPS IN ENUGU
Goods worth millions of naira have been destroyed during a fire incident that affected eight shops, including four palm kernel factories at Ezinifite Street by Ebony Paint Road, Garriki, Enugu.
Eyewitnesses said left for the timely intervention of the State Fire Service, the inferno would have consumed more shops and residential buildings.
The fire, which started around one o’clock Thursday morning at the Palm Kernel factory, woke up many residents who came out in their numbers and assisted the fire fighters from the Enugu State Fire Service to put off the flames.
Workers at the factory who were on duty when the fire started said immediately public power was restored, power surge from a nearby transformer caused the inferno.
One of the owners of the Palm Kernel factory, Mr. Chukwuemeka Kenechukwu, who commended the State Fire Service for timely intervention, lamented that machines, oil and other goods worth about five million naira were destroyed in his factory.
“Bags and heaps of palm kernel were affected; drums of oil, the toasting machines, even the crushing machines and the entire building were burnt. In fact, I don’t know what to do,” Mr. Kenechukwu enumerated in an emotion laden voice.
A restaurant owner, Mrs. Rose Ochuba, cried that her refrigerator, fan, drinks, plastic seats and table alongside cooking utensils and food stuff were totally affected together with her husband’s nearby shop, ware-housing waste papers for production of toilet tissues.
A fashion designer, Mrs. Celestina Onovo, could not be consoled while counting her losses, which included three newly procured industrial sewing machines and ordinary sewing machines together with personal and customer’s sewed and un-sewed fabrics.
“I am crying because I bought those industrial materials just last month because I have more apprentices. Also some of the materials you see here were bought on credit, so how do I repay those I bought them from,” Mrs. Onovo narrated with tears down her cheeks.
Others affected were a hair dresser, whose dryers and hair making tools were damaged and an owner of a provision and food stuff shop, Mrs. Ada Ani who bemoaned activities of some people who stole some of their goods that were partly saved during the inferno.
According to Mrs. Ani, “and as we were bringing out goods, some people in the name of helping us were busy stealing from us and looting other’s goods. So we lost many things. It is so unfortunate.”
The Executive Secretary, Enugu State Emergency Management Agency, Mrs. Nkechi Eneh and the Caretaker Chairman, Enugu South Local Government area were at hand to assess the extent of damage as they pledged government’s intervention.
“I have just come with my team to do an on-the-spot assessment, when we get back to the office, we would work on the report and subsequently they would be informed of any intervention by government,” Mrs. Eneh said.
Though no life was lost in the fire disaster, the affected shop owners appealed for urgent government and citizens’ intervention to save them from hypertension and hardship in the New Year.
CHUKWUBUIKE MADU
