by Nurat Uthman
Good worth millions of naira have been lost as fire gutted the Caring Heart Market in Okitipupa, Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State.
Though the cause of the fire which started on Thursday night is still sketchy, it was gathered that the incident affected about 18 shops in the state capital.
Fortunately, no life was lost to the fire incident.
Preliminary investigations suggest the possibility of a fault in the electric spark in one of the shops.
A block of 18 locked-up shops, stocked with frozen foods including fish, turkey and chicken, were burnt down.
Items such as cash, deep freezers, frozen food items, generating sets, power regulators, fans, solar power installations and other gadgets belonging to the traders were also consumed by the inferno.
The Iyalaje (Market women leader) of Idepe, Okitipupa, Chief Florence Irinyemi, disclosed that it was the security guard at the market who raised alarm around 1:00 am on Friday.
According to her, the traditional ruler of the town, His Royal Majesty, Michael Obatuga quicky alerted the officials of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) who switched off power supply to the market, without which the inferno would have engulfed the entire market.
Irinyemi, however, appealed to the state government to restore the Okitipupa Fire Service for quick response to combat such inferno in the future.
Unfortunately, many of the traders have just restocked their shops with goods to be sold during the yuletide season.
The victims area now appealing to the government and well-meaning organisations and individuals to come to their aid, lamenting that the losses are too much for them to bear.
