‘Massive’ Fire At Gas Plant Causes Panic In Rivers State; No Casualties Reported

A gas plant went up in flames in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Tuesday morning, causing panic among residents.

The incident happened around 5:00 a.m. local time in the Rumukurusi area when people were asleep. A resident said they woke up after hearing screams from the gas plant, which is owned by Hydropet Oil Services Limited.

A shop owner, identified only as Grace, said she saw a massive fire and plume of smoke in the sky when she woke up around 5:20 a.m., reported The Street Journal.

"I quickly came out to the road leading to Eneka, and it was the Hydropet gas plant on fire. The fire was huge. I was so afraid because my shop is close to that place," she added.

Federal Fire Service and Shell Petroleum Development Company officials arrived at the scene around 9:00 a.m. to extinguish the fire.

State Police Command Grace Iringe-Koko confirmed no casualties were reported, adding an investigation was launched into the incident.

"Yes, there was a fire incident. It was due to a leakage from one of the gas cylinders," Iringe-Koko said. "Later, the Shell Fire Service was able to put it out. But the police have commenced an investigation to ascertain what really happened."

Another resident said the officials could not put out the fire even after four hours. The Federal Fire Service reportedly ran out of water while they were trying to douse the fire.

"Imagine that there is no fire station all the way from Artillery to Eleme Junction. Even when the Federal Fire Service came within a short time, they ran out of water," the resident said. "Thank God for the Shell Fire Service workers who came to stop the fire because we don't know maybe the tank would have exploded."

The incident created panic as there are hundreds of homes and businesses in Rumukurusi.

Last month, a blast at an illegal oil refinery in Rivers State's Emohua district killed at least 37 people, including two pregnant women.

Such fire incidents are not rare in Nigeria. In September, people across the country witnessed power outages for almost 10 hours after the electricity grid collapsed because of a fire incident.