The cause of the fire outbreak is yet to be ascertained as at press time, although residents of the area said the fire incident may have been caused by power surge and described the damage caused by the unfortunate incident as devastating.
The Chairman of Abakaliki Rice Mill Ltd, Hon. Joseph Nnunu told newsmen that the fire started at about 9pm on Thursday, and attracted the attention of the leadership of the mill who were still in the office when the inferno started.
He said they immediately contacted men of the Ebonyi State Fire Service, who rushed to the place, and were able to put off the fire, adding that some of the valuables that were salvaged was as a result of his quick intervention and prompt response of the fire fighters.
The Chairman described the fire incident as mysterious, stating that the fire started from the rear of the building and took over the whole structure before security men on duty noticed it and quickly alerted the authorities.
“When I visited the scene, I saw about five black stone Rice Milling machines… bags of par boiled rice and the whole roof and interior of the building completely razed,” he stated.
A victim, who owns the shop located at 13 A Line, Mr Moses Oboh lamented the ordeal and called on the government to come to his aid.
He said he may not stand the shock and the trauma of losing up to N40 million at a blow.
