A midnight fire outbreak on Tuesday razed several houses, shops, and offices on Adebayo Street in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State.
According to residents of the area, the fire incident occurred late at night while the people were fast asleep and in the process, many property, including buildings, were totally damaged
With many of the victims, who are small business owners, counting their huge losses, they are calling for help from the state government and well-meaning individuals across the state.
Information available indicated that the fire may have started inside a communication mast and subsequently spread to nearby buildings and shops located in the area.
One of the victims, who identified himself as Imran Abdulrahman, told reporters; “I am living close to where the inferno occurred. I have my office attached to one of the buildings that got burnt. I peeped through the window, and saw how the fire was spreading to other house.
“When I eventually manage to come down close to the scene, I saw how the fire destroyed our property. Also, we learnt that a woman lost three million Naira (N3m) cash. It is very unfortunate.”
Another victim, who goes by the name, Abdulrahman Onimisi, claimed that he lost several millions of Naira in the fire incident.
“I engage in carpentry job. I couldn’t remove a needle from my workshop. Property worth millions of naira were destroyed. I have have been laboring for years but I lost everything in one day. I am short of words”, Onimisi lamented
However, he expressed thanks to God that lives were not lost in the unfortunate fire incident.
Meanwhile, some of the fire victims have expressed concern over the refusal of the Communication mast owner to respond appropriately to the destruction caused by fire.
Maintaining that his nonchalant attitude to their current plight was unfair and quite insensitive, the victims pleaded that the authorities should call him to order and ensure necessary steps are taken to compensate them for the huge losses incurred.
