A section of the Rivers State Secretariat Complex in Port Harcourt was engulfed by fire on Monday evening, causing momentary panic among civil servants.
The inferno, which reportedly started around 4:00 PM, primarily affected the ground floor of the tall building known as the Podium Block, specifically spreading to the office of the recently constituted Rivers State Pension Board.
Dr. Mrs. Inyingi Brown, the Head of the Rivers State Civil Service, confirmed the incident and provided a comprehensive update on the situation, emphasizing the quick and coordinated response that averted a greater disaster:
- No Casualties: Dr. Brown assured the public that no lives were lost in the incident, though medical services were immediately deployed to the complex to manage any potential emergency.
- Coordinated Firefighting: The response was a successful combined effort involving the Rivers State Fire Service, the Federal Fire Service, and the military, who promptly dispatched fire trucks to contain the blaze.
- Proactive Investment Credited: She specifically thanked Governor Siminalayi Fubara for his recent and proactive investment in rehabilitating the state’s fire service, noting that without this preparation, the damage “would have been worse.”
While the full official investigation is pending, preliminary reports point to an immediate cause and an area of concern for all civil servants:
- Likely Cause: Dr. Brown stated that the initial reports suggest the fire was likely caused by an electrical fault.
- Call for Responsibility: Following this finding, she issued a strong caution to all civil servants, urging them to prioritize safety to protect the complex’s structures, which she described as “heritage buildings.”“We urge all civil servants to take responsibility in safety. Put off our sockets and our lights.
- Not just putting off the sockets, but unplugging to ensure there is no residual charge because these buildings are heritage buildings and we don’t want anything to happen to them,” she stressed.
- Rehabilitation Promise: Dr. Brown concluded by assuring the public that Governor Fubara is actively planning measures to refurbish the affected sections of the buildings, with details to be made public soon.
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