By Onome Oghenetega
There was tension on Thursday when fire broke out at the multi-million naira Warri/Effurun Water Board Project along the busy Airport Road in Warri South and Uvwie Local Government Areas of Delta State.
Sources told NIGER DELTA TODAY Online that the raging fire started at about 1:30pm destroying some facilities at the site.
It was learnt that the inferno was caused by some ‘aboki’ labourers who were reportedly hired to clear overgrown weeds within the premises which also housed the popular College of Education Edjeba, Warri.
The labourers were said to have left the scene of the fire when it later reportedly spreads to the section housing the multi-million naira water project.
The over 28-year-old project which had been under reconstruction by successive governments in Delta State since 2001 is being carried out in partnership with the World Bank.
ALSO READ: UPU Donates Relief Materials To Victims Of Uwheru Herdsmen’s Attacks In Delta
Aside some facilities of the water project that were touched by the fire outbreak no casualty was recorded in the incident that lasted for two hours thirty minutes.
Swift response by firefighters from the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) and the Delta State government saved the situation wreaking the entire facility.
It was gathered that some workers including security guards stationed at the facilities scampered for safety while car dealers by the fence of the made frantic efforts to evacuate their vehicles to prevent them from being engulfed by the raging fire.
The incident was said to have caused gridlock both on the airport and Ekpan NNPC Housing Complex roads.
YOU MAY ALSO READ: Okowa, Wike, Obaseki, Others Agree To Replicate ‘Amotekun’ In South South
The incident was said to have resulted in heavy fumes in the sky causing pandemonium among residents.
A staff of the board confirmed to our correspondent that some vital equipment which had been completed were destroyed during the incident.
The source, however, could estimate the level of damage caused by the inferno in terms of monetary terms.
The Delta State government disclosed in 2019 that a total N13bn had so far been expended on the Warri/Effurun Water Scheme through a concession arrangement.
In spite of the amount, the scheme had not been put into use except when it was test run during the administration of former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan.
