A midnight fire has gutted the Plumbing Materials Section of the Head Bridge Market, near the Ogbo-Ogwu Medicine Market in Anambra State, destroying shops and goods worth millions of naira.

The market, situated along the busy Onitsha–Awka Expressway near the River Niger Bridge, went up in flames in the late hours of Friday, with the blaze spreading into the early hours of Saturday.

While no casualties were reported in the incident, and the cause of the fire is yet to be unknown, traders were left counting heavy losses as their wares were consumed by the inferno.

Eyewitnesses said the fire started around 11:55 p.m. and spread rapidly across sections of the market before it could be contained, making it difficult for traders to salvage their goods.

All efforts by some affected traders to recover their wares were abortive due to how intense the fire was.

Eyewitnesses quoted by Punch said that the fire burned for several minutes before the state fire service arrived at the scene.

“The fire started at almost 12 midnight, the security men at the market alerted officials and traders, but before they could rush to the market, the fire had burnt a substantial part of the Market”

“As we speak now, some of the affected shop owners are still packing some of their burnt items and examining the extent of damage. The exact cause of the fire could not be immediately determined, but a power surge is suspected”

Fire service officials later responded to the incident and brought the situation under control, preventing further spread.