Fire razes 4-storey building in Onitsha, property worth N500m damaged

The commercial city of Onitsha, Anambra State, was gloomy at the weekend, as fire razed a four-storey building belonging to a popular transporter and director of Psalm 121 Motors Nigeria Limited, Chief Ayika.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that the fire broke out in the late hoursof Saturday when the occupants of the building were already asleep. Though no life was lost, the cause of the fire was yet unknown as of press time.
Chief Ayika, who spoke with newsmen, stated that "I travelled to the village on Friday and while I was in the village, some of my staff called and told me that my house was on fire. I had to return and I met this disaster. I lost everything cash, property and, most importantly, all the
original documents of my vehicles and my wife's credentials, including my children's certificates.
Chief Ayika stated that the incident had left him helpless, adding that "as it stands now, I don't know where to go from here. This cloth I am wearing was given to me by friends because everything in this house was razed."
He also called on the federal and state governments to come to his aid, noting that since the original documents of his vehicle had been burnt, this would jeopardise his transport business, while he put the cost of the property he lost at N500 million.
In her reaction, wife of the victim, Edith, said the fire started around 11.00 p.m, saying that "we woke up and tried to contain the fire but it was beyond our control, then we raised the alarm and people came. We called the fire service, but they told us theydid not have water and before the other station from Okpoko could come, the fire had already razed everything.
She said she lost everything to the inferno, adding that "I have been a teacher for a very long time, in fact I am already going towards my retirement, but all my documents and that of my husband's company and my children certificates were all lost to the inferno. We are calling on the National Emergency Management Agency, (NEMA) to help us because we are going through a lot of difficulties now."