Occupants of a one-storey residential building, located at Udensi Street in Abakaliki town, Ebonyi State capital are in deep pains after a fire outbreak gutted their entire household properties.
Although no casualty was recorded, the residents reportedly lost all their belongings to the inferno, as not even a household pin was salvaged.
Neighbours who spoke to africafirstnews.com said the fire outbreak was caused by a surge in the electricity supply to the area, which occurred at about noon when most of the occupants of the building had gone out.
Our Correspondent reports that tens of volunteers and sympathisers battled relentlessly to put out the fire, but the intensity of the raging fire coupled with poor supply of water, made it difficult for them to manually contain the inferno, until the arrival of professional fire fighters.
On lookers blamed the huge losses of household properties at the affected building on the late arrival and response of the State Fire Service, several hours after a distress call was made.
But, the Comptroller of the Ebonyi State Fire Service, Raphael Ibiam who was physically present at the scene of the fire incident, denied the allegations, insisting that his Agency was not to be blamed as they promptly mobilised and responded to the emergency. [Watch Video]
