Fire Destroys Two Buildings in Warri as Firefighters Struggle Without Water

Residents of Lower Erejuwa Road by Ope Junction, Warri, Delta State, have expressed outrage after an early morning fire destroyed two buildings and exposed the unpreparedness of the state fire service to contain the blaze.

                                                             

The fire reportedly broke out around 1 a.m., shortly after the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) restored power following a three-day outage.

According to residents, the inferno began in one of the affected compounds after an electrical surge, quickly spreading to nearby buildings. While neighbors tried desperately to put out the flames, vandals and looters took advantage of the chaos, carting away goods and valuables as victims wept.

Elder Paul Obire, a landlord in Ope and former coach of the defunct NNPC Football Club, Warri, described the scene as heartbreaking.

He confirmed that firefighters from the nearby station arrived early but couldn’t operate, claiming their truck had no water.

“The firefighters left and never came back. In the past, when they had such challenges, they reached out to other stations like SPDC, NPA, or NNPC for help, but this time they didn’t,” Obire lamented.

He criticized the inefficiency of the fire service and condemned those who looted victims’ belongings, describing their behavior as a reflection of “the depth of poverty and hunger in the country.”

Another resident, identified as a cleric, added that the firefighters also struggled with a faulty water pump, making it impossible to control the fire.

Residents of Lower Erejuwa Road by Ope Junction, Warri, Delta State, have expressed outrage after an early morning fire destroyed two buildings and exposed the unpreparedness of the state fire service to contain the blaze.

The fire reportedly broke out around 1 a.m., shortly after the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) restored power following a three-day outage.

According to residents, the inferno began in one of the affected compounds after an electrical surge, quickly spreading to nearby buildings. While neighbors tried desperately to put out the flames, vandals and looters took advantage of the chaos, carting away goods and valuables as victims wept.

Elder Paul Obire, a landlord in Ope and former coach of the defunct NNPC Football Club, Warri, described the scene as heartbreaking.

He confirmed that firefighters from the nearby station arrived early but couldn’t operate, claiming their truck had no water.

“The firefighters left and never came back. In the past, when they had such challenges, they reached out to other stations like SPDC, NPA, or NNPC for help, but this time they didn’t,” Obire lamented.

He criticized the inefficiency of the fire service and condemned those who looted victims’ belongings, describing their behavior as a reflection of “the depth of poverty and hunger in the country.”

Another resident, identified as a cleric, added that the firefighters also struggled with a faulty water pump, making it impossible to control the fire.