Tragedy struck on Friday when an inferno razed four buildings on First East Circular road in Benin, the Edo State capital.
It was gathered that the fire started at about 12pm, when many Christians were still attending the Christmas service in their respective places of worship.
Two residential buildings, a furniture showroom and workshop were affected in the fire.
Although the cause of the disaster had yet to be ascertained by the appropriate authorities, at the time of filing the report, some eyewitnesses suggested that the fire might have been triggered by the storage of petrol in one of the rooms or the use of heavy firecrackers.
“I suspect that somebody stored fuel or chemical. Otherwise, the fire would not have had such an impact,” one of them who identified himself as Mr. Ifeanyi, said.
Sympathisers who thronged the scene of the incident to assist in putting off the fire described the disaster as a tragedy for the victims who had planned to celebrate the festive period with their families.
Some of them also noted that the situation might have been worsened by the harmattan season.
Although no live was lost in the fire, property worth millions of naira was destroyed prior to the arrival of officers of the state fire service.
One of the victims, Mr. Vincent, while lamenting his loss, said, “As I talk to you, no single thing, not even a plank was spared. The things burnt are not less than N3m. I am so surprised; I don’t really know the cause of the fire.”
The fire comes a day after an explosion at a gas plant in Nnewi, Anambra State killed 100 people. The Christmas Eve explosion resulted in a fire, which razed several buildings, 60 cars and 50 motorcycles, leaving more than 20 other people with injuries.
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