A massive fire outbreak in the early hours of Friday destroyed goods and property worth millions of naira at 57 Azikiwe Street, Mile 2 Diobu, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The blaze, which started around 3am in the densely populated area, raged for hours before it was brought under control by the Rivers State Fire Service. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined.
When visited at about 8am, the fire was still burning, affecting several rooms and shops in a large compound. Parts of the building were difficult to access, hampering firefighting efforts.
At least seven large shops and eight rooms were completely razed, including a liquor warehouse that lost over 50 crates of beer. The compound, which has two sections and about 35 rooms in total, narrowly escaped further destruction after additional fire trucks and personnel arrived.
The fire was finally contained after about four hours, though smoke lingered in parts of the building.
Wisdom Jack, a shop owner dealing in ice block machines, lamented losing materials and goods worth millions of naira.
“Both the ice block machines, even the ones companies gave me to mould, have been destroyed. I don’t have anybody to run to,” he said.
Another affected trader, Chigozie, said he was asleep when alerted to the incident.
“By the time I got to the scene, I couldn’t salvage anything. I lost two button hole machines, two weaving machines, three industrial machines, and over N1 million in cash,” he said, expressing hope that God would restore his losses.
Police operatives from the Azikiwe Division were deployed to prevent looting and protect salvaged property. The State Police Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-Koko, said she was yet to receive full details from the Divisional Police Officer at the time of filing this report.
