By Elvira Jordan
Several families have been left devastated after a fire outbreak razed their home in the Rumuodumaya area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, destroying property worth millions of naira.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday July 15, 2026, with eyewitnesses saying the fire started at about 5:00 a.m. and continued burning until around 9:00 a.m. before it was eventually brought under control.
The cause of the fire had not been determined as of the time of filing this report.
Speaking in a video posted on social media, one of the victims, a staff of the Rivers State Government, Mercy Alikor, said the inferno destroyed everything in the house, leaving the family with nothing.
According to her, all personal belongings, including important documents and academic certificates belonging to her and her husband, were destroyed in the blaze.
“I couldn’t save even a pin from my house. All my documents, my husband’s documents and our certificates were completely burnt,” she lamented.
Alikor further alleged that efforts to obtain assistance from the Rivers State Fire Service were unsuccessful. She claimed that officials demanded ₦400,000 to purchase diesel before responding to the emergency.
“We called the fire service, and they said we should bring ₦400,000 to buy diesel. We pleaded with them to accept ₦150,000, but they refused,” she alleged.
Residents who witnessed the incident expressed concern over the prolonged duration of the fire, noting that it burned for several hours without any visible intervention from emergency responders.
The allegations against the Rivers State Fire Service had not been independently verified, and the agency had not issued an official response as of the time of this report.
Meanwhile, friends and relatives of the affected family have launched an online fundraising campaign to support them as they seek to recover from the devastating loss.
The incident has renewed concerns over emergency response capacity in Rivers State and the challenges residents face in accessing timely firefighting services during emergencies.
