A gas plant in the Rumukurusi area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, went up in flames early on Tuesday, causing panic among residents and business owners in the area. It was gathered that the explosion occurred around 5 a.m. when most people were still asleep.
Residents who spoke with reporters said they awoke after hearing people shouting from the location of the
gas facility owned by Hydropet Oil Services Limited.
Men from the Federal Fire Service and Shell Petroleum Development Company used all available resources to extinguish the fire, which had been burning for nearly four hours.
An eyewitness recounted,
“Imagine that there is no fire station all the way from Artillery to Eleme Junction. Even when the Federal Fire Service came within a short time, they ran out of water.
“Thank God for the Shell Fire Service workers who came to stop the fire because we don’t know if maybe the tank would have exploded.”
Meanwhile, hundreds of residents and business owners flocked to catch a glimpse of the fire, with some concerned about an escalation.
Hundreds of police officers and firefighters cordoned off the area with red tape, preventing vehicles from continuing down the road.
Grace Iringe-Koko, the spokesperson for the State Police Command, confirmed the incident and said an investigation had begun.
Iringe-Koko, on the other hand, stated that no lives were lost in the incident.
She stated, “
Yes, there was a fire incident. It was due to leakage from one of the gas cylinders.
“Later, the Shell fire service was able to put it out. But the police have commenced an investigation to ascertain what really happened.”
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