Over 40 shops were, on Monday, razed down by fire at the Bridge Head Market in Onitsha, Anambra State.

Goods worth millions of naira which were destroyed include hotel building, yam, carpentry tools, wooden doors and chairs, assorted sizes of foam, saw machines and many crates of soft drinks and others.

It was gathered that the fire, which lasted for about an hour, was quelled by traders using fire extinguishers.

The affected traders, Jude Nwufo, who lost wooden doors and chairs, and Daniel Achu, who lost saw machines, appealed to government for financial assistance to enable them bounce back to business.

Speaking after taking journalists round the scene, President-General of Bridge Head Markets Traders Union, Hon. Sunday Obinze, said they suspect the fire was ignited following an electrical fault.

On his part, Secretary of Big Yam Sellers Association, Collins Onwunali, described the damage done by the inferno as enormous but thanked God that no life was lost in the process.

Meanwhile, authorities of the market have banned the use of naked fire by the hoteliers as well as smoking inside the market, with effect from January 1, 2020.

The cause of the inferno is yet to be ascertained as of the time of filing this report.

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