GOODS worth several millions of naira were destroyed yesterday following a midday fire which engulfed the popular Ekiosa Market in Benin.
Traders and sympathisers watched helplessly as firefighters refused to show up, hours after the inferno which touched a part of the nearby headquarters of the Edo Development and Property Authority (EDPA).
When the firefighters eventually showed up, some angry youths pelted them with stones and demanded that they leave as the market had been completely razed down.
It took the determined efforts of riot policemen who were immediately drafted in to restore law and order.
Coming on the heels of a recent fire outbreak at Santana Market, the inferno which lasted for several hours reportedly spread to the Edo Development Property Authority (EDPA) and consumed a section of the multi-storey building.
It was gathered that the fire started at about 12.10 pm following a spark reportedly caused by a power surge in one of the locked-up shops.
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The inferno defiled all efforts by sympathizers to put it off and spread to the entire shops in the market.
Our correspondent observed during a visit to the market at about 4.PM that the entire market have been razed by the rampaging fire.
The area, however, became tensed after angry youths confronted the University of Benin (UNIBEN) fire service truck emerged to put off the fire at the EDPA.
One of the youths who simply identified himself as Efe said: “From what we witnessed, the firefighters deliberately did not show up even when some traders made frantic efforts at reaching them.
“They only came after the fire spread to EDPA and wanted to put it off. In anger the youths and some of the traders pursued them.”
He said that the timely arrival of armed soldiers and other security agents saved the situation.
Another eyewitness who simply identified himself as Edosa said: “I live around here. I was in my house when we heard market women shouting fire, fire shortly after BEDC restored power around 12 noon.
“We all ran into the market and discovered that the shop that was burning was locked. So we could not do much to put out the fire. And before we could figure out the next line of action, the fire had spread to other shops.
“Some people called fire service and their response was that they don’t have water. We were helpless as we could not put the fire out with bare hands.”
and then