A late Saturday night fire gutted leather products, raw materials and machines estimated at over N3 billion in Aba, Abia State.
The fire affected over 30 shops at the Mansion Zone block of Powerline Leather Products Industrial Cluster.
The Chairman of the affected block in the industrial cluster, Ugochukwu Nwachukwu, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday that more than 500 workers were working in the affected shops.
Nwanchukwu said though the Abia Fire Service arrived from Umuahia about an hour after the fire started, their efforts helped to douse the inferno.
Cherechi Ndukwe, a victim, said he rushed to the scene after a call about the incident.
Ndukwe said: “We made frantic but unsuccessful efforts to douse the inferno with buckets of water before the arrival of the men of Abia Fire Service from Umuahia.
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“The fire service men arrived some minutes past 11pm to help us douse the raging fire.”
Ndukwe appealed for immediate help to the affected victims as the incident has put their businesses, families and employees in jeopardy.
“It will be very difficult to survive without the support of Abia and Federal Governments,” he added.
Another victim, Nnenna Onyedikachi, said all they had invested in the business has been destroyed by the fire.
A former Chairman of Omenka Shoemakers Association, Powerline Zone, Goodluck Mmeri, expressed disgust that miscreants capitalised on the situation to steal some of the materials and machines.
Also, Mazi Okechukwu Williams, the President, Leather Product Manufacturers Association in Abia State, lamented the huge losses suffered by the traders in the face of the current harsh economic situation.
Williams regretted that the state government was yet to re-establish a Fire Service outpost at Ariaria International Market to handle fire incidents.
Williams pleaded with Governor Alex Otti to restore the fire service outpost to ensure prompt response to any fire incident in and around the market.
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