An early-morning fire gutted a residential building on Monday destroying no fewer than twenty eight apartments, including several shops, at No. 32 Orumba Street, Okpoko, in the Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State.

It was gathered that the fire, which started in one of the apartments at about 2 am, quickly spread to adjoining apartments before engulfing the shops.

The blaze, which reportedly caused damage running into several millions of naira, was brought under control with the intervention of police officers from the Okpoko Police Division, who provided security while residents made frantic efforts to quench the fire.

No casualties were recorded, but the incident caused panic as residents struggled to salvage their belongings from the raging flames.

Although the cause of the fire remains unconfirmed, preliminary reports suggested that it may have been triggered by a power surge following the restoration of electricity supply.

Some affected shop owners said they received distress calls informing them that their shops were on fire, but by the time they arrived at the scene, the entire building had been razed.

At the scene, men of the Nigeria Police Force, led by the Divisional Police Officer of Okpoko Division, CSP Ewelu Owai, alongside community stakeholders, were present to maintain law and order and assess the level of damage.

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