Shell begins investigation into fire outbreak in southeast Nigeria

LAGOS, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) has commenced full-scale investigation into the recent fire outbreak in which properties worth millions of naira were destroyed in southeast Nigeria Bayelsa State.

The inferno, which occurred at one of the leak points at Peremabiri in the Southern-Ijaw Local Government area of the state, was allegedly caused by an oil spill from the SPDC's facility, according to the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday.

Locals from the area said that at least 27 local gin-distilling camps and several hundreds of raffia palm trees as well as farmland were destroyed by the inferno, which was noticed by Shell on Monday.

The inferno, still raging as on Wednesday, was caused by series of cumulative oil spills along the right of way of the SPDC 's Diebu creek delivery.

The SPDC has shut down the Diebu delivery line since November 2008 due to a series of sabotage attacks.

Precious Okolobo, Shell Spokesman, who confirmed the incident, said the company has commenced investigation into the matter and that a ground team has been deployed to the area to ascertain the likely cause of the inferno.

"A helicopter over fly on January 26, 2009 confirmed a fire on the SPDC right of way, and a ground team is being deployed to the area to ascertain probable cause of the fire," he said.

Okolobo explained that full oil recovery and remediation, as well as repairs, have not been achieved due to lack of access and security challenges in the area.

"Efforts are continuing to gain access to the area in order to put out the fire and clean up the oil spilled from the sabotage attacks," he said.

The Niger Delta is an unstable area of Nigeria, and inter ethnic clashes are common practice.