A massive inferno which hit one of the surburbs of Bayelsa State, Niger Delta part of Nigeria has destroyed several valuables and left many in distress.
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There was confusion in Ekeki suburb of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State on Saturday after fire gutted a neighbourhood, rendering 300 persons homeless.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the inferno, which occured at 2am, destroyed valuables worth millions of naira.
The cause of the fire has not been ascertained. However, there was no loss of life.
Residents of the affected area located behind the Ekeki Divisional Police Station items such as generator sets, television sets, bales of fabrics, huge sums of money and phones, among others were lost.
An eyewitness identified as Nicholas, said the fire might have been caused by a candle as there was no electricity supply when the incident occurred.
Nicholas said that firemen who arrived at the scene in three vehicles stopped the fire from spreading to the Ekeki Police Station.
“It happened this morning, some minutes to 2a.m. We have not slept since then till now. Three fire-fighting vehicles came and stopped the fire. If not it could have entered the police station.
“We don’t know what caused the fire. Whether it was candle light, we don’t know. But it started with a little smoke coming out from someone’s house and a woman saw it.
“We are over 300 people living here: families, husbands and wives and their children.
“One woman lost N300,000 that some persons kept in her custody. Her husband’s money was N120,000. Everything got burnt.”
He appealed to the Bayelsa government and well-meaning organisations and individuals to come to their aid as they could not salvage their valuables.