A major fire outbreak on Sunday swept through parts of Anambra Supermarket, a popular shopping complex in the Ikpoba Hill area of Benin City, Edo State, destroying goods and property worth millions of naira and triggering panic among residents and customers.
The fire, which reportedly started in the afternoon, engulfed sections of the two-storey commercial building before firefighters arrived to contain the blaze.
Videos circulating on social media showed thick smoke billowing from the structure as residents, shop workers and passers-by scrambled to salvage goods and prevent the flames from spreading to nearby sections of the building.
Witnesses at the scene said the fire was first noticed on the upper floor of the supermarket, with suspicions that it may have originated from a fault linked to one of the solar panels installed on the roof of the building.
The supermarket, regarded as one of the notable retail outlets serving residents in the Ikpoba Hill axis of Benin City, suffered significant damage as the inferno tore through parts of the structure.
Chukwuemeka Adimorah, who identified himself as a friend of the supermarket owner, said he received information about the incident while returning from church and immediately contacted the owner’s family.
“When I was coming from church, I found out that the supermarket was on fire. I called the wife of the owner, but she told me she was already aware and had alerted the fire service. I want to commend the fire service personnel for their efforts. They did a good job,” he said.
Another eyewitness, Lucky Bright, praised emergency responders for preventing what could have become a larger disaster.
“I was also returning from church when I noticed the fire. The response from the fire service was timely and helped to save the supermarket from complete destruction,” he said.
Residents who gathered around the scene described tense moments as smoke spread across the area before personnel of the Edo State Fire Service and the Federal Fire Service arrived to tackle the inferno.
A witness, Blessing Aidengbe, suggested that a defective solar installation could have contributed to the outbreak.
“I suspect there was a faulty panel among those installed on the roof because such faults can trigger a fire outbreak,” he said.
Despite the scale of the incident, no deaths or injuries were reported.
The latest incident has renewed concerns about fire safety compliance in commercial buildings across Edo State, particularly as more businesses adopt alternative energy systems amid rising electricity costs.
While the exact value of the destroyed goods has yet to be officially determined, traders and residents estimated that losses could run into several millions of naira.
Authorities are expected to conduct an investigation to establish the cause of the fire and assess the full extent of the damage.
