Fire from generator guts 18 furniture shops in Rivers

Goods worth millions of naira were destroyed by fire from a generator at a furniture market in the Mile 4 area of Ikwerre Road, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.

It was learnt that a welder was working near one of the shops that was stuffed with mattresses and fire started when he tried to put on a generator.

Some affected shop owners, who were seen counting their losses, said goods worth over N50m were lost to the inferno and attributed the incident to disregard for safety precautions.

One of the traders stated, “The welder did not even tell them to remove their foams, which are like fuel. As he was busy welding, a fire ignited and the man ran away with his machine.

“Look at my brother’s shop, and he is planning for his wedding on August 28. He just came from the village to make arrangements for the wedding.”

Another victim said, “Nobody could bring out anything from the shops, because of the intensity of the fire. Close to 20 shops got burnt here.”

Some volunteers, who tried to extinguish the fire, criticised the state fire service for failing to show up.

A resident, who gave his name simply as Emeka, said, “You can see that more than 18 shops are on fire. We fetched water from the neighbouring compound to extinguish the fire. Even when we went to a school to get water, the management did not allow us.

“The fire was serious. I don’t see any reason why we are in Port Harcourt and we will not see the fire service to help in times like this.”

The Chairman, Obio/Akpor Local Government Council, George Ariolu, who visited the scene, advised residents and business owners to have fire extinguishers.

Ariolu stated, “From the on-the-spot assessment, we hear that somebody was trying to put on a generator and it ignited the fire. As they say, accidents don’t just occur, they are caused. It depends on us as individuals handling materials that can easily burn to handle them with care. That is what is important.

“If you ask me, for this fire to have been this intense, maybe they were putting on the generator inside the house that was loaded with mattresses, which is not supposed to be. Imagine the level of damage.”