Emma Sunday
There was tears and anguish among residents of one of the yards in Lumumba/Okwelle Street in Mile 2 Diobu area of Port Harcourt City local government area of Rivers State when an early morning fire outbreak razed down the building destroying properties worth millions of naira.
Our correspondent who visited the scene of the incident reports that the building housing ten rooms apartment and twelve shops fully stocked with goods, was completely razed by the fire which according to residents, started by 4:00am on Friday.
Though the cause of the inferno was yet to be ascertained but there are speculations that the fire may have been caused by cooking gas leakage in one of the apartment.
A resident of the street who was identified as Ifeanyi told our Correspondent that at about 4am on Friday morning, they were awaken by screaming from occupants of the compound.
He stated that before residents mobilized to the building, the fire has spread to over 8 apartments and the roof of the building, and there was little the neighbours could do to put off the fire.
“The occupants had to save their lives first by running out of the building. The fire was so intensed that the occupants of the compound could only remove very little valuables. People who own shops in the building also suffered great loss because they have closed for business as at the time of the incident.
“The Police and local vigilante group were on ground to prevent hoodlums from stealing the little items some of the occupants managed to bring out from their houses”.
