A late-night fire outbreak has damaged a plastic manufacturing company along Umuoji Road in Nkpor, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, destroying goods and equipment estimated to be worth several millions of naira.
The blaze, which broke out on Saturday, affected parts of the factory building and destroyed raw materials, production machines, finished plastic products and chemical drums stored within the premises.
Despite the scale of destruction, no casualty was recorded.
Eyewitnesses said thick smoke quickly spread across the area after the fire reportedly started from one section of the complex.
“The fire started from a corner of the factory before smoke covered a large part of the area. It burnt for some time before firefighters arrived,” one witness recalled.
The Anambra State Fire Service confirmed the incident, saying it received a distress call at about 5:20 p.m. on Saturday and immediately deployed firefighters and equipment to the scene.
According to the Head of Media and Publicity of the fire service, Chukwudi Chiketa, emergency responders battled the flames for hours before eventually bringing the situation under control.
He said the prompt intervention prevented the inferno from spreading to nearby buildings and helped save substantial property and equipment from destruction.
Preliminary findings by the fire service linked the outbreak to welding activities carried out earlier within the factory premises.
“The fire affected raw materials, parts of the building, production machines, finished plastic products and some chemical drums.
However, significant properties were saved due to the swift response of firefighters,” Chiketa said.
Firefighters reportedly remained at the scene through the night and withdrew around 5:20 a.m. on Sunday after fully containing the blaze.
The fire service has since urged industrial operators and members of the public to observe strict safety measures, particularly during welding and other heat-related operations, warning that negligence could lead to avoidable disasters.
