… HoS says no casualties
By Nuye Aaron
There was fire outbreak today at the Rivers State Fire Engulfs Rivers State Secretariat which destroyed part of the Sectariat Complex.
The fire, which affected part of the ground floor of the Podium Block in the complex, was, however, promptly put out by a combined force of the Rivers State Fire Service, and other sister fire fighting organisations in the State.
In a chat with news men shortly after the incident, the State Head of Service (HoS), Dr. Inyingi Brown, said there was no casualty. She explained that on noticing the fire outbreak, the State Fire Service and other agencies were promptly called to contain the inferno.
“We were informed that there was a fire incident at the right wing, ground floor of Podium Block and we immediately made calls to the River State Fire Service, and they responded promptly.
“We also called other partners of the state, such as Renaissance, Federal Fire Service, and the military, who all promptly sent their fire trucks. It was a combined effort, and as we speak, you can see that the fire has been contained”, she stated.
According to her, the success in promptly putting out the fire was partly due to the upgrade of the state Fire Service by the State Governor, Sir Siminalaye Fubara, who recently refurbished the fire fighting department of the government not long after he assumed office in 2023.
“We thank God, and we thank His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, for being proactive in rehabilitating the Fire Service before this time. If not for his investment in the fire service, this situation would have been worse”, she stated.
The HoS explained that preliminary reports suggest that the fire may have been as a result of electrical faults, and called on all civil servants to be responsible in putting off all electrical appliances in their various offices at the close of work for the day.
“We urge all civil servants to take responsibility in safety. Put off our sockets and our lights. Not just putting off the sockets, but unplug them to ensure there is no residual charge because these buildings are heritage buildings and we don’t want anything to happen to them”, she admonished.
Dr. Brown further assured that Governor Fubara was working on measures to refurbish the secretariat buildings, which will be made known soon.
Tori4Town gathered that the fire occured about close of work when most workers had closed for the day.
