DPR office in Niger gutted by fire

About three offices at the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) Niger State was on Tuesday razed by fire.

Alhaji Abdullahi Isa, who is the Niger Coordinator of the department, disclosed this while conducting newsmen round the affected offices.

Isa said that the areas affected by the inferno includes  the Internet, Accounts Department, Head of Gas and Down Stream offices.

“A neighbour vulcanizer rushed to notify the Head of Inspection that he noticed smoke coming from one of the offices.

“The fire started around 3.30 a.m. when most of the staff have gone for monitoring.

“Though the cause of the fire is being investigated, a preliminary report shows that it may be as a result of an electrical fault.”

According to him, the fire caused one of the batteries powering the inverter to explode, resulting in serious damage.

Isa explained that prompt intervention by officials of the state fire service prevented the fire from escalating, adding that some vital equipment and documents were damaged in the incident.