By Ugochukwu Alaribe

Aba—Properties worth over N200 million were  on Wednesday, consumed in a fire incident which engulfed a building at Plot 212 Clifford road, Aba, Abia State

Vanguard gathered that the incident which occurred at  noon, consumed the four apartments   in the main building as most of the residents had left their homes for their businesses.

According to Mrs. Victor Aneke and Mr. Onyike Okpan, who lost properties in the incident, “No life was lost, but we could not save any property as all we have laboured for was consumed in the inferno.”

Aneke and Okpan told Vanguard that all the buildings in the compound and adjoining ones would have been consumed but for the prompt response of men of the Fire Service. They appealed to the state government and public spirited individuals to come to their aid.

Okpan, a shoe maker in Ariaria International Market, said that the incident has inflicted more hardship on his family of three as it won’t be easy for him to recover from the loss, having lost everything in the inferno.

Vanguard learnt that hoodlums who pretended to be sympathizing with the victims took advantage of the incident to loot one of the apartments where they made away with cash worth N150, 000, laptops and phones and household equipment.

Contacted on telephone, the Head of the Abia State Fire Service, Mr. Victor Gbaruko who estimated the loss to  about N200m and property saved to the tune of N500m, said they suspected power surge as the cause of the incident and advised residents to remove all electrical gadgets from power source before leaving their homes to reduce the risk of fire outbreak.