A devastating fire outbreak on Sunday destroyed goods and property worth millions of naira at a popular supermarket in Benin City, Edo State, causing significant losses to the business owners.
The incident occurred at Anambra Supermarket, located along Ikpoba Hill Road in Benin City. Witnesses said the fire started on the upper section of the two-storey building in the afternoon before rapidly spreading through parts of the premises.
Residents and passers-by reportedly rushed to the scene in an attempt to contain the flames while emergency services were alerted. Personnel of the Edo State Fire Service and the Federal Fire Service later arrived and battled the blaze, preventing it from consuming the entire structure.
An eyewitness, Chukwuemeka Adimorah, said he noticed smoke rising from the building while returning from church and immediately contacted the family of the supermarket owner.
According to him, the owner’s wife had already been informed about the incident and had contacted firefighters. He commended the emergency responders for their swift intervention, noting that their efforts helped to limit the extent of the destruction.
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Another resident, Lucky Bright, also praised the firefighters, saying their timely response saved parts of the supermarket from being completely razed.
While the exact cause of the fire had not been officially determined as of the time of filing this report, some witnesses suspected that a fault in one of the solar panels installed on the roof of the building may have triggered the outbreak.
A resident, Blessing Aidengbe, suggested that a malfunctioning solar panel could have sparked the fire, though authorities have yet to confirm the claim.
Despite the extensive damage to goods and property, no casualties or injuries were recorded during the incident. Shop owners and residents in the area expressed relief that lives were spared, even as they lamented the heavy financial losses suffered by the business.
Officials of the Edo State Fire Service had not released an official statement on the incident at the time of reporting. Investigations are expected to determine the exact cause of the fire and assess the full extent of the damage.
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