Fire has razed a tanker inside the Port Harcourt Refinery Company in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Though details of the fire could not be ascertained, a source said the fire which lasted for less than an hour has been put out.
The source who preferred anonymity said,” Yes it is true that there was a fire outbreak this morning. An operation was going on when it happened.
“There was a minor damage because it was immediately contained. So no loss of lives or property”, he stated.
The Port Harcourt refinery which is currently undergoing repairs gulping $2.5billion dollars is the first and largest refinery in the country built in 1965.
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The refinery like the others is not producing, even as the ongoing repairs are expected to be completed in March 2023.
But there have been complaints of illegal oil bunkering in Port Harcourt and other parts of the state.
Meanwhile, the Commanding Officer of the Federal Fire Service in Rivers State, Audu Alfa confirmed the fire at the petrochemical complex, stating that it was a tanker not buIlding, adding that the fire service office has put off the blaze.
Recall that residents of Port Harcourt and other parts of Rivers State had decried the worsening emissions of black substances called soot in the atmosphere, with many flooding the social media with pictures of black coloured feet, hands, cars and houses.
This is as residents of the state renew calls for the state and federal government to tackle the deadly air pollution, expressing fears for their health and wellbeing.
One of the residents who spoke to our correspondent said, “I am experiencing the (black) soot every day. The painful part of it is that after talking like this, we don’t see any action from the government.”
One Kenneth Green was said to have started the petition which would be sent to the President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Nyesom Wike for them to take urgent action and end the soot.
