By Amaka Amaka
The Chief fire Officer Enugu, Engr. Okwudili Ohaa has confirmed the death of a senior firefighter who died while fighting a fire that engulfed the Industrial Marker Zone B, Enugu Motor Spare Parts Coal camp.
The fire incident took place early Wednesday morning.
Ohaa narrated to newsmen what happened: “I was called around midnight on Wednesday that there was fire incident at the Industrial Market and we immediately despatched 4 firefighting trucks. That’s why we were able to curtail the fire to the level we did.
“So after fighting the fire, Engr. Chigozie Ugwu who is a senior firefighting officer, collapsed, and we rushed him to Park lane teaching hospital but unfortunately when we got there the doctors confirmed him dead. It was then that I started hearing that he was on medication.
“That guy was a good soldier; he died at his duty post, he did not take excuse unnecessarily. He was the leader of the group that went for the fire outbreak. He always like to lead by example. He is always the one fighting fire and the junior officers would want him to direct them but he would say no. We have lost a gallant and hardworking fire fighter.”
The president Enugu Motor Spare Parts Dealers Association Coal Camp, Mr Mike Nome told newsmen that properties worth billions of naira were destroyed by the fire.
“I want call on the government to support to these people because it’s not easy at all to cope with this kind of situation. Their means of livelihood is gone. If government can give them support to start life afresh, it will be better.”
Responding to a question on what could have caused the inferno, Nome said “we are suspecting that what caused this is electrical wire bridges. We could not break the iron galvanized protector, trying to get into the first shop it started so when the heat was so much, a gas cylinder inside there exploded and the fire became something else.
Some traders and dealers whose shops were caught up with the inferno counted their losses.
One of them, Ndu Calistus, said “I cannot cost the damage but it’s in millions, I deal on fancy parts, Jacks, wheel cover, foot mat, I pray the government to come and help us because the loss is too much, I have one shop though filled with expensive motor parts.”
Another dealer, Mr Leonard Afam, said that he had lost everything in one of his shops. “I have two shops but one is safe, I have lost lots of things especially money, I am a dealer on new parts, jack oil and other rubber used in a car like foot mats etc.
Another victim, Gideon Chika Anyaehie said hundreds of Kick starters and Alternators for caterpillar and trailers in his three shops were burnt by the fire.
