Several shops and goods worth millions have been destroyed by fire which occured at the Old Airport axis of the Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The inferno, which affected shops and offices, started around 4:00 pm on Wednesday, prompting residents to alert the Jos South and Jos North fire services.
“I came out of my office, and I saw fire everywhere. I don’t know the actual cause, but I was able to contact the fire service from Jos South and Jos North Local Government Areas. They were able to mobilise their people, who came, and right now, they are trying to quench the fire,” an eyewitness, John Michael, told our correspondent.
Mr. Silas Dung, the Chairman of Jos South Local Government Area, also confirmed the inferno, saying, “I have just been told of the fire, and I’m at the scene of the incident.”
An official of the fire service in Jos, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said his men had been deployed to the area to contain the inferno and stop it from spreading to other locations.
“Immediately we got the information, our people came, and we have been able to put out the fire,” he said. It was gathered that a similar fire incident occurred last month at a timber market located in the Katato community in the Jos North Local Government Area.
The inferno, which started in the night, affected over 200 people, a majority of whom are carpenters, and left about 107 shops burnt to ashes with goods worth over N1bn destroyed.
