A fire that destroyed Gindin Dorowa Rice Mill in Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State has left traders counting their losses.

WuzupNigeria gathered that the fire that occurred on Tuesday burnt about 176 bags of rice and some rice processing equipment.

Vice-chairman of the rice millers association, Alhaji Salisu Mamman, said on Thursday that the watchmen at the factory informed them that the fire started from a nearby dumpsite and spread to the factory.

Mamman said,

“According to them, when they saw the fire, they quenched it but unknown to them, the fire had penetrated beneath the waste product and sparked out of control.

“The fire burnt three of our processing machines; one shop, one union office, one fashion designer store and about one hundred and seventy bags of rice.”

One of the traders, Fachino Boyi, while recounting the losses said the damage caused by the inferno was over N20m

“Most of the machines that were destroyed are very expensive and as ordinary people, it is not easy to overcome this.

“Our main source of income has been seriously affected and we call on spirited individuals to come to our aid.

“We also want the government to come to our aid to enable us to recover from the lost and acquire new machines to continue our business,” he said.

The Caretaker Chairman of Wukari Local Government Council, Adi Daniel, who visited the scene of the fire incident urged the traders to remain calm even as he promised to forward the report of the incident to the state government and other relevant organisations for prompt action.