Another Port Harcourt fire outbreak, the third in three days, hit Bonny/Bille Jetties of Nembe Waterside, Creek Road, Port Harcourt City Local Government Area (LGA), Rivers state Monday with a pregnant woman, three children feared dead, other victims sustaining various degree burns and boats and other properties razed.
Before the latest incident, Rivers State Government had on Sunday set off a probe into the spate of fire outbreaks in the Rivers capital city after Saturday night’s incident at D-Line and another the day after at Rumuagolu axis, razing property estimated at hundreds of millions of naira.
No clear cause has been ascertained over Monday’s fire outbreak, but like the two previous incidents, stakeholders alleged that indiscriminate storage and movent of illegally refined fuel products in the area raised the intensity of the fire.
Some eyewitnesses alleged that the afternoon inferno was sparked from the lighter of a cigarette smoker who was offloading fuel from a boat that burst in flames as he ignited his lighter, engulfing six other houseboats within.
Bodies of the pregnant woman and three children were reportedly recovered as scores were feared missing and several others who sustained severe burns rushed to the medical emergencies.
A witness simply identified as Johnson narrated, “Children and many others are feared dead. The boat was parked beside 6 others. One loaded passengers with timber, crayfish, garri, kerosene, and other food items waiting to take off.
“You know here they used to bring fuel and diesel, even the water was covered with much fuel that any spark could spread wildfire. The spark is what caused the fire.
IbomInkNews
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