•••Victims Recovering At FMC Asaba
By John Ugo, Awka
A team of the Anambra’ State Fire Service on Wednesday morning averted a fresh fire incident that erupted at the Chemical Market near the Bridge Head in the commercial town of Onitsha in the State.
This came barely 24 hours after police officers and men of the Anambra state Fire Service helped to stop the fire incident at the market caused by chemical explosion on Tuesday.
Four persons were reported to have died during the ugly incident.
Men of the State Fire Service at the notice of resumed inferno had quickly deployed their equipment to the stop the fire. They have been stationed in the market since the Tuesday incident.
Publicity Secretary of the Bridge Head Market Traders Association, Sir Peter Okala who confirmed the fresh outbreak of fire said, “We came to the market this morning (Wednesday) and discovered that the fire has started again and because the Fire Service men were there since yesterday, the fire could not continue and the fire service had to put it out.
“The problem we have in the market is that past leadership of the market did nothing to protect the market despite the huge revenue that they were collecting.
“Also, all the exit routes in the market have been blocked with the construction of illegal structures and shops hence when incidents like this happen people are trapped and that explains the number of deaths and casualties during the fire incident.”
Okala however appealed to Governor Charles Soludo to take steps towards improving the state of fire facilities around the market and other markets in the state.
The State Commissioner for Health Dr Afam Obidike and his medical team have visited the victims of the incident at the Federal Medical Center (FMC) Asaba Delta state, where they are currently receiving treatment.
Obidike said “I am already in Asaba with my medical personnel and we were there and other medical facilities where the victims are responding to treatment and the state government is taking pains to take care of them.
“We shall continue to assist and visit those victims and provide medical services to them because it is an unfortunate incidents
“What happened here, was that there was a suspected chemical explosion at the Government line in the market and unfortunately many people got injured while some lost their lives and goods worth millions of naira got lost too.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of lives, many injuries and material losses recorded as a result of this unfortunate incident.”
The commissioner explained that his visits to Delta and White Specialist Hospitals were to ensure that those who sustained various degrees of injuries were receiving adequate medical attention.
“So, I was able to interact with one of the doctors, and he assured me that they will treat them well and of course, I will be visiting often.”
He said that Governor Soludo had been briefed on the incident and that was why he (the commissioner) was directed to ensure that the injured were given adequate medical attention.