Three persons have been killed in an early hour petrol fire at Rumola, Government Reservation Area (GRA), Phase 4 part of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Eye witnesses said the incident, in the early hours of Tuesday, occurred when a tanker- laden with fuel fell and spilled its contents on adjoining buildings and ignited fire.
An eyewitness account had it that a woman, her little child and a boy died in the incident while dozens of persons sustained various degrees of burnt.
Properties worth millions of naira were also destroyed in the incident.
“We woke up this morning to see heavy fire and billows of smoke coming from the Rumola end of Port Harcourt. We made efforts to contact the fire service but they arrived very late.
“The inferno had burnt and destroyed properties worth millions of naira. A woman, her little child and a young boy lost their lives in the incident.
“Several persons sustained various degrees of burnt and were evacuated to hospital,” narrated an eyewitness, Chidi Ohale.
A trader, John Eke said he lost goods worth millions of naira and called on Rivers State government to come to their aid.
The Chairman of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, Mr Victor Ihunwo said the state government will assist those who lost their properties in the incident.
Ihuwo who spoke to a radio station, monitored by our reporter, advised residents of Port Harcourt to be safety conscious especially during the dry season. DT
