Fire Guts Louis Carter Motorcycle Manufacturing Factory In Nnewi

Fire Saturday night gutted Louis Carter Industries Nigeria
Limited, a multi-million naira motorcycle spare parts and allied
products manufacturing company factory, based in Akaboukwu Uruagu
Nnewi, Anambra State.

The company, owned by Nnewi industrialist and businessman, Chief
Louis Onwugbenu, manufactures the Louis Carter brand of
motorcycles, which is widely used in the South-eastern part of
Nigeria and the South-south.

The fire outbreak, a company source said, started 10:00pm on
Saturday, and raged for about six hours despite attempts by men of
the Anambra State fire service to put it out.

It was gathered that the fire defied all the fire extinguishing
machines in the company. Even the men of the fire service
department who were said to have arrived one hour and 30 minutes
after the fire had started, could not extinguish it.

The General Manager of the company, Mr Ndubisi Okoli, said the
company’s security men alerted him of the fire Saturday night.

“The security men said the magnitude of the fire could not be
put out with fire extinguishers at the factory, and that they had
called the fire fighters’ emergency number, which led to the
arrival of the men of the department.

“The fire was caused by Enugu Electricity Distribution Company’s
(EEDC) high tension cable that exploded and sparked off fire into
the section of the factory which stores our raw materials.

“The raw materials and crushing machines worth over N500 million
was completely razed down, just as the building was completely
burnt too, but no life was lost,” Okoli said.

Also reacting, the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer of Louis
Carter Group of Companies, Chief Onwugbenu, said the fire incident
had caused a huge loss to the company that had hundreds of workers
in its employ.

Onwugbenu acknowledged the effort of Chief Innocent Chukwuma,
Chairman of the Innoson Group, and member representing Nnewi North
in Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon Nonso Smart, who he said
were physically present to motivate the fight against the fire.

Onwugbenu said it would cause him huge amount of money to
rebuild the factory, adding that he was uncomfortable about the
number of workers that had been thrown out of job because of the
fire outbreak.

Fire Saturday night gutted Louis Carter Industries Nigeria
Limited, a multi-million naira motorcycle spare parts and allied
products manufacturing company factory, based in Akaboukwu Uruagu
Nnewi, Anambra State.

The company, owned by Nnewi industrialist and businessman, Chief
Louis Onwugbenu, manufactures the Louis Carter brand of
motorcycles, which is widely used in the South-eastern part of
Nigeria and the South-south.

The fire outbreak, a company source said, started 10:00pm on
Saturday, and raged for about six hours despite attempts by men of
the Anambra State fire service to put it out.

It was gathered that the fire defied all the fire extinguishing
machines in the company. Even the men of the fire service
department who were said to have arrived one hour and 30 minutes
after the fire had started, could not extinguish it.

The General Manager of the company, Mr Ndubisi Okoli, said the
company’s security men alerted him of the fire Saturday night.

“The security men said the magnitude of the fire could not be
put out with fire extinguishers at the factory, and that they had
called the fire fighters’ emergency number, which led to the
arrival of the men of the department.

“The fire was caused by Enugu Electricity Distribution Company’s
(EEDC) high tension cable that exploded and sparked off fire into
the section of the factory which stores our raw materials.

“The raw materials and crushing machines worth over N500 million
was completely razed down, just as the building was completely
burnt too, but no life was lost,” Okoli said.

Also reacting, the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer of Louis
Carter Group of Companies, Chief Onwugbenu, said the fire incident
had caused a huge loss to the company that had hundreds of workers
in its employ.

Onwugbenu acknowledged the effort of Chief Innocent Chukwuma,
Chairman of the Innoson Group, and member representing Nnewi North
in Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon Nonso Smart, who he said
were physically present to motivate the fight against the fire.

Onwugbenu said it would cause him huge amount of money to
rebuild the factory, adding that he was uncomfortable about the
number of workers that had been thrown out of job because of the
fire outbreak.