A section of the eight-storey Podium Block of the Rivers State Secretariat Complex was on Monday engulfed in flames. It was gathered that the incident occurred at the close of work.
Some civil servants who work in the block, when contacted for comments, said they had already left the office and were unaware of the incident.
Honour Sirawoo, the permanent secretary of the ministry of information, confirmed the incident. Sirawoo said firefighters from both the state and Federal Fire Services (FFS) were currently at the scene, working hard to put out the flames.
The Head of Rivers State Civil Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown says there were no casualties during a fire incident that occurred at the State Secretariat Complex on Monday.
Speaking to newsmen on the ground floor of Podium Block, location of the incident, the Head of Service disclosed that on noticing the fire outbreak, the State Fire Service and other agencies were promptly called to contain the inferno.
“We were informed that there was a fire incident at the right wing, ground floor of Podium Block and we immediately made calls to the River State Fire Service, and they responded promptly.
“We also called other partners of the state, such as Renaissance, Federal Fire Service, and the military, who all promptly sent their fire trucks. It was a combined effort, and as we speak, you can see that the fire has been contained,” she stated.
The fire, which started a few minutes past 5 pm, was reportedly brought under control by the Rivers State Fire Fighting Station.
According to eyewitnesses, the fire was intense and spread rapidly, prompting swift action from the firefighters who rushed to the scene to put out the blaze.
While the exact cause of the fire is yet to be confirmed, a report suggests that an electrical fault may be responsible for the incident.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Head of Service, Inyingi Brown, attributed the fire to an electrical fault, advising that workers should learn to turn off electrical appliances while leaving the office.
