By Giwa SHILE
The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) said fire from a dump site, near Park One, Port Harcourt gutted its Injection Sub-station that supplied electricity to Diobu area of Port Harcourt.
PHED’s Manager for Corporate Communications, Mr John Onyi, made this known on Monday in Port Harcourt. Onyi said the fire also destroyed its security post, telecommunication mast and other facilities.
He urged the affected residents in Diobu to bear with the company, adding that power would be restored to the affected area after the impact had been assessed.
Rivers State Commissioner for Environment, Prof. Roseline Konya, said investigation had been launched to ascertain the cause of the fire. The commissioner assured that anyone or group found culpable would be arrested and prosecuted.
Konya said the state government could not have ordered the used tyre dump site be set ablaze, saying that was why the government ordered that the fire be put out to contain its spread.
“The smoke is still on; but the fire has been put out by firemen. The burning of tyres is all part of what is contributing to the soot in the state,” she said.
Dr Miracle Harry, an official of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria, claimed that the dumpsite might have been set on fire by those who specialised in extracting for sale copper wires and aluminium metal from tyres .
“On Dec 31, this set of people set fire on a small used tyre dump site at Njemanze Street in Port Harcourt. The fire spread and burnt a petrol tanker truck to ashes. We arrested the people and handed them over to the police,” he said. .
