In Elekahia community, Port Harcourt Local Government Area of Rivers State, hundreds of residents have pleaded with Governor Nyesom Wike for help after their homes were completely destroyed by a fire outbreak.
There was a fire incident at about 8:30 am on Friday following an explosion, which was suspected to have resulted from a kerosene explosion. The fire razed houses and property worth millions of Naira in the densely populated area.
The fire was made worse when gas cylinders in some of the affected houses exploded, spreading the fire to other areas, and displacing about 200 residents.
Youths and other residents of the area hurriedly mixed water and detergents to quench the fire, as distressed calls were made to the fire service.
On arrival around 9 am, men of the Federal Fire Service had difficulty accessing the scene due to the closeness of the buildings, including makeshift buildings.
An official of the Federal Fire Service, John Nnemeka, told our correspondent, “We arrived early but the road was too narrow. So, we could not access the scene quickly because of the road network. We also had to be careful driving in so that we don’t destroy electric cables and high-tension lines.
“In the end, however, a resident helped us to break through his fence and passed our hose so we could put out the fire”.
Meanwhile, one of the victims, Theophilus Sunday, who said he lost everything, said that he was in Bayelsa State when he was told that his neighborhood was on fire.
Sunday said: “My home theatre, television, fridge, everything I have is gone. It is unfortunate. The fire started from a nearby building. I am homeless now and many of my neighbors are too. We are begging our governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, to come to our aid.
“Aside from property, I lost money. If the government can assist us in getting a place to stay, we will be happy”.
