Musical equipment, cloths and other items were destroyed when fire gutted the sanctuary section of Assumpta cathedral of the Owerri metropolitan Catholic archdiocese in Imo State on Monday.

Our correspondent who visited the archdiocesan headquarters located at Control junction in Owerri a few minutes past 8 am on Monday saw parishioners, priests and journalists trooping in to have a glimpse of the destruction caused by the inferno.

Items worth millions of naira were estimated to be lost in the fire incident.

Though the fire had been put out, our correspondent saw smokes oozing out from the section the fire affected.

A parishioner, who spoke to our correspondent at the scene of the incident, said, “The incident happened at the midnight.

“The sanctuary department is affected. Thank God it didn’t spread to the other parts of the cathedral. I don’t know what we would have done.

“This is coming at a time a new archbishop for the archdiocese will be installed on June 23. I don’t know what we would have done. Glory be to God that the damage is minimal.”

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He told our correspondent that firefighters were contacted and they came to put out the fire.

The Director of communications for the archdiocese, Rev Fr Raymond Nzeremeogu, said, “Glory be to God the fire was put out very early. It didn’t spread to the other parts of the cathedral.

“Firefighters were contacted and they came. Cloths, musical equipment like the amp, audio speakers, microphones and others were affected.”