3rd February, 2024
By Shedrack Frank
Fire destroyed property and goods worth millions of naira at Amarata Community in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa on Saturday, but no life was lost.
Eyewitnesses said the fire was caused by a spark in a diesel-laden vehicle parked near a fuel station.
Bayelsa Fire Service and the police confirmed the cause of the fire.
Police spokesman, ASP Musa Muhammed, said it was an electric spark that made the vehicle to go up in flames, which spread to nearby buildings.
Victims and eyewitnesses said the fire that trailed the diesel from the burning vehicle also burnt down part of the fuel station, some buildings and shops in the area.
A victim, Ms Ebiomo Queen, who runs a mini-supermarket in the area, said goods and money inside her shop worth about N20 million were burnt.
“I cannot even value the goods that have been burnt down in my shop; the source of my livelihood has been burnt down, over N20 million gone.
“I own a mini-supermarket here; I do not live nearby; I would have been able to remove some goods from the shop.
“This is too much for me. I plead with the state government to come to our rescue, so we can return to normal life,’’ she said.
Another victim, Mr Theophilus Otti, said security personnel from another fuel station raised the alarm, but his property was already in flames.
“We saw the fire coming from a section of the fuel station, but as we were trying to block the fire, the vehicle that was packed nearby exploded and we could no longer contain the fire,’’ he said.
Yet another victim, Mr Chinyere Eze, said he could not remove anything from his house, since his attention was on saving the lives of his family members and those of neighbours.
“When the fire started, I tried to jump into the house to pick things, but I could not pick anything.
“As we speak, it is only this cloth that I am wearing that is left for me; everything has been burnt down,’’ he said.
Other victims who lamented their losses called on the state government and public-spirited individuals to assist them to start life all over.