An early morning fire has destroyed the only market in Trademore Estate, Lugbe, Abuja, causing panic among residents and shop owners.
The fire, which reportedly started around 3:30 a.m. on Monday, is believed to have begun shortly after electricity was restored by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company.
However, the exact cause has not yet been confirmed, though an electrical fault is suspected.
Eyewitness Tosin Adeleke described the chaos to the Nation. “It is sad. We are not certain about the cause of the fire, but an electrical fault cannot be ruled out. Efforts were made to contact both the Federal Fire Service and the Federal Capital Territory Fire Service, but the situation was intense,” he said.
According to Adeleke, shop owners desperately tried to save their goods as the fire engulfed their shops.
The Federal Fire Service teams from EFCC and Sauka stations arrived at the scene and managed to put out the fire after battling the blaze for two hours.
Residents also called the fire service team at Dunamis Church, who arrived earlier to assist in the firefighting efforts.
While the extent of the damage has not been fully assessed, the destruction has left the community in distress.
