An inferno has razed a two-storey building housing the Onitsha main market police station and shops selling lace fabrics in Anambra state.
The incident occurred on Tuesday morning.
Tochukwu Ikenga, spokesperson of the Anambra police command, said firefighters and policemen were on the ground to control the fire and prevent looting.
The firefighters were said to have battled to contain the inferno for hours as some of the traders tried to salvage their goods.
Market fires have become frequent in parts of the country in recent weeks.
It could be recalled that on March 10, an early morning fire destroyed several auto parts stores in Aba, Abia state.
Two days before the Aba incident, some sections of the Akere automobile parts market in the Olodi-Apapa area of Lagos state were razed by fire.