Fire Guts Port-harcourt Major Market

Goods worth millions of naira have
been destroyed in an inferno that
gutted the Rivers state Newlayout
Market in town axis of Port Harcourt.
The course of the fire is still
unknown but DAILY POST gathered
that the fire disaster occurred
around 8pm (Tuesday night).
Chairman of the market, Jack
Robinson said the fire may have
started with a spark from one of the
shops after power was restored.
Robinson also said the fire started
from Lane 2 of the market.
An obviously devastated victim of
the inferno said: "I got a call that
fire was burning in our market, then
me and my children ran there
immediately. I got there and I was
looking at how my shop was
burning. My supermarket has
finished. I am finished. I have been
crying. I don't know what to do
again.
An eyewitness said, "many of them
just returned from Onitsha and Aba
to refill their stores and this kind of
thing has happened. This fire
disaster happens every year. We
don't know what to do, I don tire."
Meanwhile, the Rivers state
Government said the state
government was worried why there
is recurrence of inferno engulfing
major markets every year.
State Commissioner for Special
Duties, Dickson Omunakwe in an
interview with DAILY POST said the
Ministry has been proactive in
sensitizing traders and shop owners
to maintain high safety standards.
Omunakwe said averting a fire
outbreak was not only the
responsibility of government,
stressing that it is multi-
dimensional.
He expressed sadness at the
incident but assured that
investigations will be carried out
before government will take any
action.
According to him, "First of all, we
will investigate the cause of the
incident and then when we finish
with our investigation, we will have
an informed opinion of what to do.

Posted By David Aniemeka