230 die from fire outbreak in Rivers

By  JIMITOTA ONOYUME, Port Harcourt

A TOTAL of 230 persons lost their lives to fire incidents last year in Rivers state.

A Senior Principal Fire officer in the state Fire Service, Engr Golden Elenga who made this known yesterday in Port Harcourt at a workshop on fire emergency organised by the South South zone of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA said the fire service department of the state government also received distress calls for 304 emergency fire issues.

File photo: An engulfed building

Meantime, the South South Coordinator of NEMA, Mr Emenike Umesi has appealed to residents in the state and beyond to handle fire with caution. He warned that with the harmattan in place there was need for them to be very vigilant while using fire for cooking or handle candles and lanterns, stressing that fire could be very destructive if not well handled.

Umesi again reminded the people that fire was not a good servant.  “The scores of fire accidents that ravaged the country in 2012 is a testimony to the popular saying that fire although a good servant is an unscrupulous master.