Inferno from fallen tanker burns shops, houses, kills three in Port Harcourt

An inferno from a fallen petroleum tanker has consumed apartments and shops leaving three people dead around MOPOL-nineteen, G.R.A Phase Four, Port Harcourt.

The petroleum tanker, which fell around Rumuola, had spilled its content into the drain extending from Rumuola to MOPOL-nineteen.

Eyewitnesses said the fire burned from the drains, torched shops around Rumoula and stretched to G.R.A Phase Four to burn houses.

Those affected by the inferno that destroyed houses and shops around Rumuola and MOPOL-nineteen area of Port Harcourt have blamed slow response of the Rivers state Fire Service for the level of damage done by the fire.

Those who spoke with THE UNIMAGINABLE said the level of damage caused by the fire would have been minimal if the state Fire Service was effective.

One of the respondents, who identified himself as Chibuchi, said, “I am angry because of the magnitude of what I have lost here. When the fire started we were calling Fire Service but they were not responding. And this I not the kind of fire that ordinary people can quench.

“The fire was burning from Rumuola down to this MOPOL-19, If not for the MFM Church that came to the rescue, the damage would have been worse than this.”

In the meantime, Chairman of Port Harcourt City Local Government, Victor Ihunwo advised residents to be safety conscious during the festive season.

Ihunwo promised that the state government would assist those who lost their loved ones and property in the fire incident.