Tony Okafor, Awka

Some residents of Adazu Nnukwu in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State have described the fire that gutted 14 shops and property worth millions of naira opposite a cemetery on Thursday as a mystery fire.

The fire incident, which started at about 2.30am, according to a source, who pleaded anonymity, may have been caused by ghosts.

He said, “On Monday, I saw strange faces here in my shop. They asked me the prices of sardine and bread and Fanta. I told them the prices of the items. They smiled and left.

“On Tuesday, they came again and asked me whether I had reduced the prices of the items, I said no. They left my shop and started visiting other shops one after another. People were staring at them because they were just looking strange; they are not from here.

“It was in the evening of Wednesday that my neighbour here told me that the same people came and warned that they would set this place ablaze if we didn’t reduce the cost of our goods.

“My neighbour said after issuing the warning, the strange people, who were six in number, moved to the direction of the cemetery, and he didn’t see them again, only for us to come to this place this morning to see our shops in ruins. We lost everything,” the source said.

Other residents said the cause of the fire could not be ascertained.

Steven Agupugo, who spoke with Southern City News, said, “We are surprised to see this, this morning (Thursday). I’m dumbfounded. One cannot say it was power surge because there was no supply from the public power source for some time here.”

The governor of Anambra State, who was represented by his deputy, Dr. Nkem Okeke, sympathized with the traders. He expressed shock that the live-savings of some people could be burnt within minutes.

He said, “This kind of incident calls for worry. Together, we shall make efforts to avoid future occurrence.”

Obiano promised that the state government would make arrangements to take care of the situation while urging the people to always observe the basic safety rules.

lalasticlala