From Tony John, Port Harcourt
Goods and property worth millions of naira have been destroyed by a fire outbreak, which occurred at the popular Mile 3 Market, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The incident, which occurred on Friday night, mostly affected the Bishop Okoye Line in the market.
Several shops, including cold rooms, were destroyed by the night inferno, which traders could not confirm how it started.
The immediate past chairman, Goat Meat Sellers Association, Bishop Okoye Line,  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 although firefighters tried to put out the fire. But at a point, the firefighters said they had exhausted the water in their trucks. In fact, it was passersby that manually fetched water to extinguish the fire.”
Meanwhile, operatives of the Delta Flush Unit, 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 to prevent an escalation of the fire.

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