A widow in Umuahia North lost goods that worth N500,000 in strange fire

A widow, Mrs. Oluchi Emeka of Umuokoroala village, Afugiri, Umuahia North Council Area of Abia State has cried out to public spirited individuals after she lost goods worth over N500, 000 to a strange fire that razed her provision shop.

Narrating her ordeal, one Mrs. Emeka said that she heard some strange noise at about  1 a.m but thought the noise was coming from her neighbour’s house and when the noise persisted, she opened her window and discovered that her shop was on fire.

“It was beyond my comprehension. When I raised an alarm , my neighbours came out to help me put out the fire. But by the time we opened the shop, all my goods were already burnt down.

“Nothing was rescued from the shop and I just stocked my shop for Christmas sales. I have no money to restock my shop again,” she lamented.

On the possible cause of the fire, she said , “We don’t use candle in the shop and nothing was plugged to any electric source.

Besides, there was power outage all through the night. Even the fuel and kerosene in the shop were not burnt.

I can’t explain the cause of this fire. I am a widow with six children. I really need help and support to start over again.”

A resident of the community who did not want her name in print alleged that such fire incident must be the handiwork of some evil people who do not appreciate the progress of others.

“This lady lost husband last year and this Christmas, they have also burnt her shop. Her enemies are at work and I will only advise her to be strong in prayer,” she said.



By: Anayo Okoli
      (Vanguard News)