By Sandra Kenneth
Dozens of residents have been left homeless after a massive fire outbreak destroyed more than 40 makeshift structures (“batcher” houses) on Onukwuru Street, off Rumuolumeni Road (Iwofe), Port Harcourt, on Tuesday.
The inferno wiped out homes and property worth millions of naira, though no lives were lost in the incident.
According to eyewitnesses, the outbreak was caused by negligence during a cooking activity. Trouble began when a resident was frying groundnuts over an open firewood flame. Another woman attempted to pour kerosene from a jerrycan into a nearby basin, ignoring explicit warnings to wait until the open fire was completely extinguished.
The heat and flames ignited the kerosene fumes, triggering an immediate explosion that rapidly spread through the closely packed batcher houses.
Spurred by panic, neighbors banded together in a frantic attempt to put out the blaze, but the flames quickly overpowered their efforts and consumed the makeshift structures within minutes.
By Tuesday afternoon, affected residents were seen picking through the charred debris in a desperate attempt to salvage any remaining belongings, leaving many stranded and calling for relief assistance.
