Rivers Govt Sympathies with Fire Victims As Over 200 Displaced

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

Rivers State Government has sympathised with victims of fire incident at No. 29 Off Ibe Street, by Elekahia axis of Port Harcourt, the state capital, which occured yesterday.

The Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr. Ndubuisi Okere, who expressed the government’s concerns over the incident, said that the fire outbreak rendered over 200 persons homeless, regretting that the narrow road prevented the fire servicemen  from gaining access to the building early enough.

He stressed that it took an extra effort and cooperation of a neighbour in the area who agreed to pull down his fence for the firemen vehicle to get closer to the building and later put off the fire over an hour later.

The commissioner, who spoke to THISDAY at the scene of the incident, said although there were so much damage to properties but thanked God that no life was lost in the inferno, commending the people in the area for not looting recovered properties from the fire.

He revealed that the incident was caused by one of the occupants of the building who left his cooking gas on to concentrate on other house chores until he was called that his room was on fire, following the explosion of the gas cylinder.

“At about 9:15a.m., I got a call from someone within Elekahia that there was fire incident. What I did was to call the firemen from the Ministry of Special Duties, I was able to reach out to one of them who immediately contacted the Federal Fire Services and firemen promptly moved to the scene of the incident.

“On getting to the place, they were unable to access the place because of the narrow road. After some negotiations, somebody volunteered that a fence into his house should be broken

“Before the firemen arrived, the fire has already done much damage before they were able to put if off. Even though they couldn’t remedy it at that point in time but they succeeded in putting off the fire after an hour-twenty minutes time.

“The challenge we are having in this kind of situation is that if actually they had access into that place, perhaps the situation wouldn’t have been this bad as at the time of reporting.

“We have always gone to the radio telling people to be careful with what they use in their houses and how to use their appliances. If you are leaving your house, it has always been our regular advise, put off all your gadgets like the report we are getting, this fire occured through the use of the gas.

“We gathered from the residents of the house that the person was cooking and left it for a while to wash and the whole house got inflamed up.

“But we are lucky that we didn’t lose anybody, no casualty other than the fact that everything in that building got burnt. Is unfortunate but they are all alive, for which we thank God.

“There was no looting of victims’ properties, this is an exceptional thing to me. The few ones they were able to secure were kept safe, our case now is how we will come in and assist them, is something that will come thereafter, the incident has happened.”

Some of the victims that spoke to THISDAY, lamented that they have lost all their valuable properties worth millions of naira.

Mrs. Nwachi Odomenam cried, “I was inside sleeping when my daughter ran inside the room shouting, mummy, mummy, fire, fire. When I ran outside I saw that the fire in our neighbour’s house was close to us. We tried to put off the fire but there was no water, by the time I tried to pick some of my belongings fire had covered everywhere. We lost all our properties in the fire. I am frustrated, don’t know what to do.”

Also Mr. Lenu Bari lamented: “I was in the house and I heard fire, when I came out I saw fire burning in the room it started from and at that time the compound was quiet because so many of our neighbours have travelled for the festive celebration in their villages. But before I could even shout the fire has circulated wide.

“I lost all my properties in the fire but thank God I was able to rescue my children and wife.”

Barisika Nsam, also a victim of the incident pleaded with the state government and other well-meaning Nigerians to come to their aide.

 “I plead with the government to assist us as I am talking to you now, we are all stranded and don’t know where to sleep tonight.”