Xmas fire destroys buildings, property in Edo

Tragedy struck on Friday when fire razed four buildings on First East Circular Road in Benin, the Edo State capital.

Fire Outbreak in Benin

It was gathered that the fire occurred at about 12:00pm, when many Christians were still attending the Christmas service in their respective places of worship.

Two residential buildings, a furniture showroom and workshop were said to have been affected.

It was learnt that the wild fire started from one of the buildings before spreading to others.

Although the cause of the disaster had yet to be ascertained as of the time of filing this report, some eyewitnesses account revealed that the fire might have been triggered by storage of petrol in one of the rooms or the use of heavy firecrackers.

“I suspect that somebody stored fuel or chemical. Otherwise, the fire would not have had such an impact,” an eyewitness, Mr. Ifeanyi, said.

Sympathisers thronged the scene of the incident to assist in putting out the fire.

Although no live was lost, properties valued at several millions of Naira are believed to have been destroyed in the tragedy.

One of the victims, Mr. Vincent, while lamenting his loss, said, “As I talk to you, no single thing, not even a plank was spared. The things burnt are not less than N3m. I am so surprised; I don’t really know the cause of the fire.”

Xmas fire destroys buildings, property in Edo