A massive fire outbreak on Wednesday morning gutted sections of the popular Nnewi Electrical Market in Nnewi, Nigeria, destroying shops and warehouses stocked with expensive electrical components and spare parts.
The inferno reportedly spread rapidly through the market, sending traders into panic as they struggled to salvage their goods.
Eyewitnesses told reporters that the blaze gained momentum quickly due to the highly combustible nature of materials stored in the market.
Distraught traders were seen weeping and making frantic efforts to move their wares to safety, while others battled thick smoke and flames using buckets of water and sand.
“People are losing everything! We need the Fire Service here immediately,” a shop owner cried. “If they don’t arrive now, the entire market will be gone.”
As of the time of filing this report, the cause of the fire remained unknown. However, traders and residents expressed concern over the delayed arrival of the Anambra State Fire Service.
Emergency calls have intensified, urging the state government and first responders to deploy firefighting trucks urgently to prevent the inferno from spreading to nearby residential buildings and other sections of the market.
Nnewi, widely known as the “Japan of Africa” for its thriving industrial and spare-parts trade, has recorded similar fire incidents in the past, often linked to electrical surges or improper storage of flammable materials.
Authorities are yet to issue an official statement as efforts continue to contain the blaze.
