Tension engulfed residents early Monday as a fire broke out at the Trademore Estate market, located along Umar Musa Yar’Adua/Airport Road in Abuja.
The fire, which began around 4a.m., destroyed multiple shops, with the cause yet to be determined.
Eyewitness Tosin Adeleke described the scene as chaotic, as shop owners scrambled to salvage their goods amidst the raging flames.
“It’s devastating. Although the exact cause is unclear, an electrical fault cannot be ruled out,” Adeleke said.
Emergency response efforts were initially hampered, with residents struggling to contact the Federal Fire Service and the Federal Capital Territory Fire Service.
Eventually, firefighters from Dunamis Church arrived at the scene around 5 a.m. and began efforts to control the blaze.
After two hours of intense work, fire service teams from the EFCC and Sauka stations managed to extinguish the fire.
Investigations into the extent of the damage and the cause of the inferno are ongoing. Residents and traders have called for improved emergency response measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
