Bayelsa State | Fire guts store, destroys N300m worth of goods

Fire has gutted a multi-million naira Jico Electrical Store, one of the biggest stores in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, destroying goods and property worth about N300m.

The fire was said to have started in the early hours of Saturday before the owner and workers at the shop resumed for the day’s business.

It was learnt that efforts to put out the fire proved abortive as neighbours and passers-by watched helplessly as the fire burnt the entire goods and property in the big store.

It was gathered that men of state fire service, who though responded promptly to the emergency, could do nothing to quench the raging fire as they were said to have complained that their trucks had no chemicals.

Though the fire fighters could not put out the fire in the store, they were able to prevent it from spreading to the entire one-story building which housed over 20 electronic and electrical stores.

The manager of the store, John-Paul Igweka, said they resumed in the morning to see that the store was on fire and all efforts by his workers and neigbours to stop it were in vain.

He said, ‘’You can see things for yourself. It is not what I can quantify but as you can see for yourself, the goods worth millions have been consumed by the inferno. It is like going back to zero, going back to the village to start all over again.”

The President of the Ohaneze Youth Council, Chinedu Authur-Ugwa, who was at the scene to assist the shop owners, described the fire incident as shocking and heartbreaking.

He said, “It is sad; we were informed this morning of the fire incident and on reaching here, I was shocked at the level of damage. Goods worth N300m have been destroyed. It is indeed sad particularly at this period of hard times.’’