A section of a popular car park in Jos, better known as the NTA park, was destroyed by fire on Wednesday night.
The fire that started around 7:30 p.m. is said to have lasted for several hours before firefighters finally put it out.
Motor Park President Maikwudi Ibrahim told The PUNCH in Jos on Thursday that although no lives were lost during the fire incident, the outbreak destroyed several properties, including shops.
Ibrahim said: “We were there around 7 pm. The fire started in our Financial Secretary’s office and spread to stores around the park.
“The fire was big because it started where tires and forgotten passenger objects were stored and everything burned. The drivers who always sleep in the park were still present, they were able to quickly remove their vehicles and that prevented the vehicles from burning. But the fire spread to the stores and razed them.
The president blamed the fire incident on a power surge in the affected office where all hell ignited.
He said: “The fire was caused by a power surge by the Jos Electricity Company because while we were still in the park they restored the power and took it back on almost immediately. This happened more than ten times. It was when the light was brought on for the 11th time that we saw a spark in the office of the Financial Secretary and before we knew what was happening, fire was everywhere.”
Our correspondent visiting the NTA park on Thursday morning observed that the fire had died down as the merchants whose shops were destroyed by the fire lamented the situation.
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