By John Odhe, YENAGOA
The Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has ordered discreet investigation to unravel the cause of the fire incident that occurred at Baybridge Road, in Yenagoa, the State capital on Friday.
The governor also empathised with victims of the inferno which destroyed properties worth millions of naira.
Diri, who was represented by his deputy, Dr. Peter Akpe, undertook an inspection visit to the scene of the fire outbreak to ascertain the level of destruction caused by the incident at Baybridge, Kpansia.
The governor, who led a high-profile delegation of officials of relevant government agencies including the Comptroller of Federal Fire Service, Mr. Diton Amos and the Commissioner of Police, Bayelsa State Command, Daniel Iyamah, spoke to newsmen after taking an on-the- spot assessment of the affected structures.
Describing the incident as unfortunate, he, however, expressed gratitude to God that no life was lost.
Diri commended the fire service, the police and neighbours who responded to the incident, stressing that but for their swift intervention, the situation could have been worse.
He assured that all relevant agencies would take the necessary steps to unravel the cause of the inferno to decipher whether it was an electrical fault or man-made.
The Bayelsa governor however added that all electrical sources to the affected area would remain shut down during the period of investigation.
His words: “We are here on behalf of His Excellency, the governor to show concern over what has happened. This is an emergency. However, we give glory to God that no life was lost and that the level of damage did not get beyond what we are seeing.
“Let me commend the efforts of the fire service agency and other relevant agencies and even the neighbours for their swift intervention, if not it would have been worse.
“We will take the necessary action to follow up. The Police, SDS, Comptroller of Fire Services will undertake an investigation to ascertain whether the incident was man-made or it was an electrical fault. Meanwhile, electrical sources to this environment will be shut down for now.”
In his remarks, the commissioner of police, Iyamah, explained that as soon as the Command was contacted, he deployed his officers to secure the area, stating that “investigation was ongoing in order to come up with the exact cause of the fire outbreak.”
Director-General, Bayelsa State Emergency Management Agency, (BYSEMA), Walamam Igrubia, expressed sadness over the incident and assured that his agency would take steps to alleviate the plight of the affected persons.
In their separate accounts, a victim of the fire outbreak, Douye Josephine Yallah, who sustained injuries from the fire, said the incident happened about 9 ‘O clock in the morning and that property worth millions of naira were destroyed.
Also another victim, Miss Blessing Sobotie, and an eyewitness, Pastor Ezekiel Oteigbanyon, narrated that they heard a loud sound and saw smoke billowing from the rooftop and raised the alarm to call the attention of the neighbourhood to the incident.
In a statement by the Press Secretary to the deputy governor, Mr. Doubara Atasin, Sobotie, who described the destruction as massive and devastating, called on the government and other charitable organisations for assistance.
The deputy governor, was accompanied on the visit by his wife, Dr. Favour Akpe, Commissioner for Health, Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe, his Lands and Survey counterpart, Mr Perepuighe Biewari.
Others were Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Fred Kemedei and the Permanent Secretary of Women Affairs, Mrs Agnes Oloye, among others.
