From TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
Property worth millions of naira have been destroyed by fire outbreak, which occurred at the popular Mile 3 Market, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The incident occurred on Friday night, and the section of the market mostly affected was the Bishop Okoye Line.
Several shops, including cool rooms, were destroyed by the night inferno, which traders could not confirm what ignited the fire.
Immediate past Chairman, Goat Meat Sellers Association, Bishop Okoye Line, of the Market, Nelson Tasie, expressed shock at the level of destruction, saying it was difficult to quantify the things traders had lost.
Tasie said: “We have not been able to ascertain the cause of the fire, which razed several shops and destroyed goods worth millions of naira.
“Goods worth millions of naira have been destroyed, though the fire fighters were around. But, at a point, the fire service people said they had exhausted their water. In fact, it was passersby that fetched water to extinguish the fire”.
Meanwhile, operatives of the Delta Flush Unit of the Police, from Mile One Police Divisional Headquarters, Port Harcourt, were prompt at the scene of the incident to ensure that hoodlums did not take advantage of the confusion to loot people’s property.
An operative of the unit, who pleaded not to be named, said although the fire pressure had subsided before their arrival, concerned persons tried their best fetching water to prevent further escalation.
