By Mabel Aziba, Port Harcourt
What should have been a desperate call for help turned into hours of heartbreak for a family whose home was reduced to ashes after a fire reportedly raged unchecked.
According to the homeowner, she immediately contacted the Rivers State Fire Service as flames engulfed her house, hoping firefighters would arrive in time to save her property. Instead, she alleged that she was told to provide ₦450,000 before emergency responders could come to the scene.
With no way to raise such an amount in the middle of the crisis, the family could only watch helplessly as the fire spread from room to room, consuming furniture, household belongings, important documents and years of hard-earned possessions.
Neighbours reportedly made frantic efforts to contain the blaze using buckets of water and other improvised means, but the flames proved too fierce.
By the time firefighters eventually arrived—more than four hours later, according to the homeowner—there was little left to save. The once vibrant home had become a pile of charred rubble.
For the affected family, the loss goes beyond bricks and mortar. Memories, valuables, children’s belongings and personal documents vanished in a single afternoon.
The incident has sparked outrage on social media, with many Nigerians questioning the accessibility and responsiveness of emergency services. Citizens argue that emergency response should never depend on a victim’s ability to make immediate payments while lives and property are at risk.
As public anger grows, many are calling on the Rivers State Government and relevant authorities to investigate the allegations, establish the facts surrounding the incident and ensure that emergency services are equipped to respond swiftly when disaster strikes.
For one family, however, any investigation will come too late. They are now left to sift through the ashes, wondering whether their home could have been saved if help had arrived when they first cried out.
