- Head of Service gives more insight
A section of the Rivers State Government Secretariat in Port Harcourt has been gutted by fire.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information, Honour Sirawoo, confirmed the incident.
Sirawoo said firefighters from both the State and Federal Fire Services (FFS) were at the scene, working hard to put out the inferno.
Meanwhile, Head of Service, Dr. (Mrs.) Inyingi Brown, has explained that the fire incident was caused by an electrical fault.
She, however, stated that no life was lost in the incident, which destroyed property worth millions of Naira on the ground floor of the Podium Block in the complex.
The Head of Service said the fire was promptly contained through the combined efforts of both the State and Federal fire services, stressing that their swift response prevented further damage.
Dr. Brown expressed appreciation to Governor Siminalayi Fubara for his foresight in rehabilitating fire service stations across the State.
She said: “Other partners to the State also sent fire services. The Federal Fire Service and the military deployed their trucks as well. So, it was a combined effort, and the fire has been contained.
“We thank His Excellency for being proactive in rehabilitating the state fire service before now; otherwise, the situation would have been worse.
“From the preliminary report we received, the fire was caused by an electrical fault. But we thank God that no life was lost and no medical incident was recorded.”
She further urged civil servants in the state to take responsibility by ensuring that all electrical appliances are switched off at the close of work before leaving their offices.
Confirming the incident earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information, Dr. Honour Sirawoo, said the fire started from the ground floor of the Podium Block.
