A fire outbreak on Sunday destroyed shops and goods worth millions of naira at Eda Plaza, a building materials market opposite Chida Hotel in Jabi, Abuja.

The fire, which reportedly started around 3am, attracted shop owners and emergency responders, with no casualties reported.

An eyewitness told the Nigerian Television Authority that his brother-in-law, who owns two shops and a packing store at the plaza, was alerted to the incident by a colleague.

He said the fire had spread extensively by the time they arrived, destroying one of the shops and the packing store.

“In this plaza, my brother-in-law had two shops and a packing store. Unfortunately, only one of the shops was saved. The other shop and the packing store were totally damaged by the fire,” he said.

The eyewitness estimated the value of roofing materials destroyed in the fire at more than N20 million, adding that some of the materials had been restocked the night before.

“Over here, you see some of the roofs that we still have here. We are talking about a roof that is worth over N20 million lost in this fire,” he said.

He expressed relief that no life was lost despite the extent of the damage.

“In our situation, we give thanks to God that no life was lost in this situation,” he added.

The head of the Julius Berger firefighters’ team, who responded to the incident alongside the Federal Fire Department, said the fire was eventually brought under control after about four hours.

“We were called by a quarter to 4:00 in the morning, helping out to extinguish the fire.

“We had two fire engines, two fire water tankers, and eight firemen that helped extinguish this fire,” he said.

He urged people to prioritise their safety during fire emergencies by evacuating affected buildings and allowing firefighters to operate without interference.

“In case of fire, evacuate the building and don’t disturb the firefighters doing their job. Everybody is inside there. I understand they try to save their possessions, but this is life. Life matters, and safety first,” he said.

The cause of the fire was not immediately disclosed.