Fire destroys 7 shops in Asaba

An early morning inferno at the weekend engulfed and razed a block of seven shops in Asaba, Oshimili South local government area of Delta State, destroying property whose value is yet to be ascertained.

The fire, which occurred at Stadium Road before the office of the state-owned newspaper in Asaba, was said to have started at about 12am, completely destroying a lot of property including a chemist store and fabric shop.

Owners of the burnt shops were seen wailing intermittently while sympathizers were also seen in pensive moods.

One of the victims and owner of a provision store, Mrs. Roseline Obi said: “The fire is a strange one because nobody was able to ascertain its cause since there was no power (electricity) supply from the public source (Benin Electricity Distribution Company) at the time of the incident.”

Another shop owner affected by the fire, Mr. Valentine Oyem, said that the whole incident was still like a dream to him, adding that he had been speechless since his wife called him and informed about the fire outbreak.

They hereby appealed to the state government to come to their aid so that they would be able to support their various families.