Picture: Fire guts Tide newspaper building in Port-Harcourt, multi-million naira worth of office equipments razed

Posted by admin Headlines, Rivers, State News Saturday, July 21st, 2012

By New Nigerian Politics Staff Reporter:

The offices of the Rivers State owned newspaper Corporation, Tide, at 4 Ikwerre Road, Mile One Diobu area of the city was razed to the ground in the early morning of Saturday when fire which started from the second floor in the office of the General Manager, Mr. Celestine Ogolo, quickly spread to the first floor. According to sources contacted by New Nigerian Politics in the Rivers State capital of Port-Harcourt, the fire which started at 2 a.m., would have been contained easily had men of the Rivers State Fire Services whose offices are directly opposite the Tide building had modern fire-fighting equipments.

According to the source, the state fire men stood across the street helpless observing the fire for fifteen minutes before their better equipped colleagues from Total Oil Company fire department arrived the scene to easily put off the fire. According to the source, the Total Oil Company fire fighters stood across the street and stretched their long and sophisticated fire hose to do the job. Had the Rivers State fire department had the right equipments, our source contended that millions of naira worth of office equipments that included ten new computers, sets of furniture, copiers and other office equipments would have been saved since they arrived the scene immediately after the fire started given their proximity.

The state commissioner for information & Communication, Mrs. Ibim Seminitari and top state officials who visited the scene expressed sorrow and acute disappointment at the height of devastation.wp_posts