Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

Some parts of Eliozu Community in Obio-Akpor local government area of Rivers State were  today, Saturday 4 January, 2020, enveloped with smoke as Government scrap yard caught fire causing so much panic among residents.

Fire started at 7 am at the Rivers State Government Scrap Yard at Eliozu, loaded with condemned  tyres. It is opposite Eliozu Market, off East-West road. The inferno frightened most of the market women who scampered for safety. The huge flame and smoke temporarily hampered free flow of traffic along the popular Chief G.U.Eke road, as motorists and commuters resorted to the use of one lane of the dual carriage way.

Eyewitnesses: “When the firefighters came, they were just looking at the fire and complaining that they could not get access to quench the inferno”.

“We don’t know what started the fire but all we saw was a heavy flame burning the heap of over 10,000 condemned tyres in the Government scrap yard.”

When contacted, the Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr Bariere Thomas, said the Ministry was aware of the fire and was doing something to put it out.

He earlier cautioned residents of Port Harcourt to be careful while handling inflammable materials during this hot harmattan season.

Similar fire incident occurred on Friday, 3 January, in the Diobu area of Port Harcourt, leaving residents occupying the 22 burnt apartments homeless and properties worth millions of Naira destroyed.

Also yesterday, there was another fire incident at No.7 Dim Street Mile 3 Diobu which left 22 families stranded and nearly all properties destroyed.