A fire outbreak occurred at the Port Harcourt refinery in Rivers State on Wednesday, according to the National President of Petroleum Retailers Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria, Billy Gillis-Harry. The fire was quickly contained within five minutes of breaking out. “Yes, it is true that there was a fire outbreak in the Port Harcourt refinery, but it was contained in 5 minutes,” Gillis-Harry said.

However, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has denied reports of an explosion at the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) in Rivers State. According to Olufemi Soneye, NNPC’s chief corporate communications officer, the incident was a flare event that has since been fully contained. The company assured that there was no threat to staff, surrounding communities, or the environment.

The incident comes hours after two explosions hit the pipeline Manifold and Trans-Niger Pipeline in the Omwawriwa axis of the Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local and Bodo-Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State. This development coincides with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent declaration of a state of emergency in the state, citing unresolved crisis and insecurity in Rivers.