A devastating fire on Friday morning razed several shops and residential rooms at Azikiwe Street, Mile 2 Diobu, Port Harcourt, destroying goods worth millions of naira. The blaze, which broke out in the early hours, consumed about seven large shops and eight rooms, including a liquor warehouse that lost more than 50 crates of beer. Witnesses said the compound, comprising two sections with about 35 rooms in total, narrowly escaped further destruction after additional fire trucks and personnel were deployed to the scene.
According to residents, the inferno raged for nearly four hours before it was brought under control, although smoke was still visible in parts of the building hours later. One affected shop owner, Wisdom Jack, who deals in ice block machines, said he lost all his materials and goods, including machines belonging to companies. “Both the ice block machines, even the ones companies gave me to mould, have been destroyed as you can see. I don’t have anybody to run to,” he lamented.
Another victim, identified only as Chigozie, said he was asleep when he received a distress call about the fire. By the time he arrived at the scene, he could not salvage any of his belongings. “I have two buttonhole machines, two weaving machines, three industrial machines, and cash of over N1 million that I kept in my shop. I lost all. But I know my God will make a way for me,” he said.
Spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, said she was yet to receive full details of the incident but would obtain information from the Divisional Police Officer in the area. At the time of filing this report, no official cause of the fire had been confirmed.
Operatives from the Azikiwe Police Division were on the ground during and after the incident to prevent looting and protect property salvaged from the fire. Residents and shop owners have called for improved emergency response measures to prevent such large-scale losses in the future.
