40 families homeless as fire destroys makeshift estate in Rivers

By Davies Iheamnachor 

At least 40 families were rendered homeless as fire destroyed a popular batcher estate in Jubilee Avenue in Rumuolumeni Community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, Wednesday.

The fire which was said to have started at about 1a.m had destroyed property that runs into millions of naira and left resident of the area in confusion. Some of the victims told Saturday Vanguard that the cause of the inferno could not be ascertained, as at press time describing it as mysterious. Speaking, one of the victims, Mr. Obinna Onukwu, narrated that the fire came unexpectedly and destroyed all their property. 

Onukwu said: “I was sitting outside with my friends around 1a.m., when a small boy that came to buy a bottle of drink ran to call me that there is fire in my room. “I was shocked because I knew that I did not leave candle on and the stove is not also one. I immediately remembered that I have small money in my room so I ran to collect the money, but before I got there fire has taken over the whole room. 

“I tried to entire but they dragged me out. I only noticed that my body was hot and they were pouring me water. With the heat of the fire we could not remove anything from our houses.”