Ado-Ekiti – Property worth several millions of Naira were on Tuesday destroyed by fire on Ile-Abiye Hospital-Ilawe Road, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State capital.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the shopping complex, which housed a hospital equipment dealer, barbing salon, building materials, kitchen utensils; wares, provision shops and a casket showroom were razed.
An eyewitness, Mr Seyi Ajayi told NAN that the inferno was suspected to have started as a result of refuse being burnt behind the building.
He said the inferno took the fire services several hours to put out, following the difficulty in controlling the crowd.
“We discovered that there was a smoke coming from a refuse dump behind the shopping complex, around 1:30 p.m.
“It took the intervention of the fire service and sympathisers to stop the fire from crossing to the nearest shopping complex at the right and a hospital at the left.
“We also thank God that the fire service arrived on time, if not, it would have spread to other buildings around, especially the Ile-Abiye Hospital,” Ajayi said.
A sympathiser, Mr Abiodun Akinboye, who assisted men of the Ekiti State Fire Service, said that no life was lost.
“I must commend the quick intervention of the Ekiti State Fire Service, who came on time to stop the fire from crossing to other buildings,’ Akinboye said.
As at the time of filing this report, the actual worth of property lost in the inferno could not be ascertained.
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NAN also reported that sympathisers and men of fire fighters were still struggling to stop the inferno.
Security agencies like the Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and National Emergency Management Agency and some of the para-military were also seen assisting the fire fighters.
All efforts by NAN Correspondent to speak with any of the victims of the incidence proved abortive, as those around were still struggling to rescue their wares from the fire. (NAN)
