Five shops and a residential building was engulfed by fire on Tuesday at Obajana in Lokoja local government area of Kogi state.
It was gathered that two persons sustained injuries while the shops and residential building were damaged completely by the inferno.
Owner of one of the shops razed down by the inferno, Chukwuebuka Austin said the fire started from one of his neighbour’s shop who deals in gas refilling.
He said the people had on many occasions asked the neighbors to stop trading in gas filling in such an area that is clustered.
“I heard that our neighbour came to the shop in the morning and saw that one of the cylinders was leaking. Before he could do anything, one of the cylinder began to emit fire. Rather than call for help immediately, he (the neighbor) was trying to put out the fire by himself.
“It was when he couldn’t control the fire that he raised alarm. Before one could do anything the cylinder exploded and ravaged the entries shops.
“I was still at home when someone called me that my shop is burning. When I reached there, I couldn’t go in, because there was no way I could safe anything from the fire,” he said.
Another shop owner, Aliu Zaki said all his life works was consumed by the fire.
The state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo, who stopped at the scene of the fire while returning from an official assignment just after the fire fighter from the Obajana Cement Factory put out the fire, sympathized with the shop owners and promised that the state government will look into their plight and assist where necessary.
