Another fire wreaks havoc in Port Harcourt

LESS than 24 hours after the inferno that gutted the popular Mile 1 Market in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, early Tuesday, two more incidents of fire outbreaks, on Tuesday night and early Wednesday, destroyed property worth millions of naira in other parts of the state.

The first of the two incidents happened at Ahoada Main Market, Ahoada-East Local Government Area of the state, destroying some five fully stocked shops of food materials, while the second incident occurred at Elele town, in Ikwerre Local Government Area, involving a fully loaded fuel tanker.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that the Ahoada market fire started with a smoke from one of the shops, which later became a huge flame engulfing other shops around it, efforts of people to quell it notwithstanding.

Eyewitnesses told the Nigerian Tribune that the fire could have gone beyond the five shops, but for the timely intervention of the men of the Rivers State Fire Service Department.

“The fire started about 6.00 p.m and lasted till about 8.00 p.m. People just saw billows of smoke coming out from one of the shops and before we knew what was happening, it had turned into serious fire.

“The boys tried to contain it before the arrival of men of the fire service, who eventually managed to quell it. It would have been worse if those people had not come early enough,” an eyewitness, who gave her name as Esther, said.

In the same vein, a tanker truck loaded with inflammable liquid content reportedly fell down at the Elele town’s roundabout, spilling its content and leaving four houses and 12 vehicles burnt.

Community sources told the Nigerian Tribune that the incident happened at about 2.00 a.m on Wednesday, adding there was no loss of life in the incident.

According to Kingsley Ezinho, a resident of Elele, the driver of the truck was allegedly trying to escape a police checkpoint when it made a detour around the roundabout.

The development, according to him, made the vehicle to fall and catch fire.

“From what we heard, the driver, whom we suspect must have been one of those people diverting products, was trying to evade a police stop. In his attempt to rush away, the vehicle swerved and fell down. It caught fire and started spilling the ignited fuel towards vehicles and houses around,” he said.

Source: tribune