Incidents of explosion as
a result of suspected adulterated kerosene circulating in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital is assuming a frightening dimension.
Residents of No. 3 Gambia Lane in Mile Two, Diobu in Port Harcourt  on Friday had to battle with flame from the stove of one of the residents that almost burnt down the building.
The Tide gathered that a lady in the yard attempted to light up the cooking stove when incidentally; the strike from the matches was followed by a loud explosion.
According to the source that was an eye witness and a member of the residence, said the explosion was immediately followed by raging flame, leaving the lady helpless and confused.
The source who pleaded anonymity said, it took the intervention of those in the neighbourhood to fight back by mixing detergents and other liquids which was poured on the burning stove to put out the fire.
In the same residence, another occupant who was a muslim woke up at about 3 am the following day to warm his food apparently at the break of his fasting period.
Behold, a strike of the matches by the Muslim, who was a Yoruba man, was followed by explosion and flame.
The Tide  gathered that the Yoruba man was left alone battling unsuccessfully to put out the fire but that, as he was shouting, the noise woke up sleeping residents who rushed  to the scene to help the victim put out the flames.
The Tide had also reported on Wednesday about a middle-aged woman who resided at Okwuzu Street also in Diobu that warned kerosene users to beware of adulterated products.
The lady who was a hairdresser narrated her experience when she lighted her stove to prepare meal for the family when the stove exploded and caught fire.
Other victims of adulterated kerosene were lucky to suffer minor damage, but Mr Godwin Amaziah was not that lucky.
Amaziah, a resident of Eliparanwo Community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, not only suffered various degrees, of burn along with two of his children, but unfortunately lost his wife and one of his daughters to the mishap last month.
The victims who recently buried the dead family members had called on the Federal Government to go after those adulterating kerosene to prevent future occurrences.
When The Tide visited the zonal office of the Department of Petroleum Resources in Port Harcourt for confirmation, on Friday, the manager was said not to be on seat.

Chris Oluoh