About N100 million worth of products and other valuables were razed by an inferno on Friday night, in a chemical company, Megadot Nigeria Limited, in the premises of Ondo state Trade Fair complex, Akure, Ondo state capital.

The company which was said to house chemicals used for the production of paints, wood finishes, thinner lacquer and other chemical products when the fire started.

The fire incident which started around 10pm on Friday night, as a result of electric surge, razed all the chemicals and equipments in the company

According to an eyewitness, Kolawole Bello, who explained that the high voltage supplied by the electricity company resulted in the inferno saying the timely response of fire service men saved the trade fair complex from burning

Bello who blamed the power surge for the late night inferno that gutted the chemical company, said the inferno started from the chemical company and it took the intervention of the fire service men to curtail the incident.

Bello said “we noticed the fire around 10 pm and we called the attention of the owner of the factory and fire service men.

Speaking to journalists, the owner of the company, Mr. Bisi Ogungbemi, said he received a call from the factory and called the fire service men who promptly responded to the distress call.

But he said ” the damage had been done but the fire servicemen were able to curtail the fire from spreading to other areas. They came in two vans and had to reload again to put things under control.

Speaking with tears, he said the company just received a new order which worth was about N50m, blaming the incident on the power surge and appealed for government’s aid.

He said “this is our only source of livelihood and we have about 20 able men working here with us. We want to appeal to the state government to look into our plight and help us.

“We don’t want to send these men to unemployment market again. I am calling on the state governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, to help us financially.

“The state commissioner for works and the Chief of staff to the governor, Mr. Gbenga Ale, had visited the scene of the incident and we hope they will help to table our plight before the governor”

The state Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Hon. Taofeek Abdulsaalam, who visited the scene of the incident said that a preliminary investigation into the incident indicated that the fire outbreak was caused by power surge.

He said the fire started at about 10 pm and lasted for about two hours, destroying property worth millions of naira before it was curtailed by the men of the state fire service.

•Sourced from Saturday Tribune report

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