According to Channelstv, Fire has gutted goods and property worth billions of Naira at the power line section of the Ariaria international Market. The Fire started late Saturday Night and raged on till Sunday morning before it was put out by firefighters. This power line zone is where mechanical parts, raw materials, shoe making equipment and allied appliances are sold. This fire outbreak was said to have brought businesses to a halt as shop owners at the power line section count their loses. The State Fire Controller, Nnanna Arua confirmed the incident and said over 30 shops were destroyed due to erratic power supply. Arua said that no life was lost. He said when Firefighters arrived at the scene, Residents were already struggling to put out the raging fire which hindered the operatives from gaining access to the fire points.

The Chairman of the affected Market zone, Amadi Ezekiel told the lawmaker representing Aba North Constituency in the State House of Assembly, Destiny Nwagwu during his inspection at the scene that the fire might have been caused by electrical spark arising from poor wiring in one of the shops. He commended the efforts of the shoemakers who battled overnight to curtail the fire from spreading before the arrival of the state Fire Service. The Lawmaker sympathized with the victims and assured them that the State government would not turn its back on them. He promised to set up a seven-man committee to interface with the market leaders on the possibility of assisting the victims.