Post Office, Shops Razed In Onitsha

Over five shops within the premises of Onitsha General Post Office, along Old Market Road, Onitsha, Anambra State, were on Sunday razed by fire.

It was learnt that the incident occurred at about 12:30 am as a result of a power surge which emanated from one of the shops.

An eyewitness said the fire put out by sympathizers before it could spread to a nearby filling station.

Goods worth millions of Naira were destroyed in the incident.

Although the main building of the post office was not affected, sources hinted that when the fire started, security operatives within the area raised the alarm prompting neighbours to rush to the scene and assisted in quenching the inferno.

A victim of the incident who deals on stationeries and other related items, Monica Awuruebo, told journalists that all her goods, cash and other items were lost to the inferno.

Awuruebo said, “I was called on phone by my neighbour, a food vendor, that I should rush to the post office immediately that my shop was on fire and I rushed to the scene, behold, the shop has been turned to ashes, not a pin was recovered from my shop.

“Even my creditor, I told her to come and collect her money and because she wasted time, the money and my goods were lost to the inferno.

"We have about five shops here and they were all touched including scores of make-shift structures.

“You can see that we have Total  Petrol filling station as neighbour and if not by the grace of God, it would have been gutted by fire and that would have caused more damages and even loss of life. Thank God no life was lost.

“We are yet to know where the fire emanated from and the cause, but it may be as a result of power surge as nobody was around to have been held responsible as one who may have ignited the fire.”