Osamagbe Imadiy
On Wednesday morning, a huge fire destroyed the Eco Fitness Hub, a well-known fitness facility across from the H-Medix Pharmacy on 4th Avenue in Gwarimpa, Abuja, leaving no fewer than 100 patrons alive. According to neighbors and witnesses, the fire began in the lounge area upstairs at approximately 9:50 am and then spread to other areas of the gym.
According to Emmanuel Eze, a Point of Sale terminal operator, approximately 100 gym patrons who were there when the incident occurred were not aware of it until the fire started to spread.
“The fire started from the lounge. Prior to the fire getting so bad, the people inside were completely unaware that it had begun, and they all had to flee. More than 80 to 100 people were inside.
“The fire started around some minutes to 10 am. I made a video around 9:50 am. It took the fire service more than 30 minutes to get here. But when they came they did a very good job”, he said.
One of the security officers, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed that he was at his duty post when the fire broke out and that, based on smoke emanating from the destroyed building, there may have been fire in the complex at the time.When contacted for comment, the facility manager, who would not reveal his identity, chose not to comment.
A joint team from the FCT Fire Services, the Federal Fire Services, the FCT Emergency Management Department, and the National Emergency Management Agency put out the fire, according to a statement signed by Nkechi Isa, the department’s head of public affairs, which also confirmed the incident.
