Fire on Wednesday destroyed four shops located at Ugbowo axis of the Benin metropolis, opposite the university of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin, the Edo capital.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that the fire which started at about 2pm, started from one of the shops dealing on Hospital and Laboratory equipment, and later spread to other shops within the building.
Men of the Federal Fire Service, the University of Benin Fire Service (UNIBEN) and the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) battled to put out the raging fire without luck.
Residents and shop owners made frantic effort to salvage some of the goods.
Speaking, Mr Sunday Madubuko, one of the shop owners who operates a Boutique, said the fire started from a laboratory equipment shop next to his own.
“The sales girl of the laboratory shop where the fire started from ran to my shop telling me that fire is burning in their office, I told her I don’t have fire extinguisher. Before I knew it, the fire extended to my boutique.
“All l know is that the fire started from the laboratory shop and spread to other shops. The cause of the fire, I still do not know. What I lost in the inferno is goods worth over N20,000,000,” Madubuko said.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the Federal fire Service, Asimu Sumaila, told newsmen that operatives of the service were currently at the scene of the incident, adding that he was yet to get a full report from the operational commander of the unit.
Sumaila, however, promised to get back to journalists as soon as he gets full details of the fire incident.
It would be recalled that a similar fire incident on Tuesday, April 23, destroyed a building housing over 20 shops at Ekiosa market, located at third junction, Murtala Muhammed Way in Benin.