Fire Guts RSUST Female Hostel

One of the female hostels (hostel A) in the main campus of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt was yesterday razed by fire, with about 100 students displaced.

An eye witness, who happened to be a resident of the affected hostel, told The Tide that the fire originated from Room 28 at about 6.30am when students were preparing for their morning lectures. Over 100 students according to her were accommodated in the hostel.

Our source, who pleaded anonymity alleged that the fire started from Room 28 of the block when one Miss Kelechi Abraham, a level 100 student of the Medical Laboratories Department was cooking with her gas cooker when suddenly, the gas cooker exploded and the fire started spreading to other rooms.

Though no life was lost, The Tide gathered that property worth millions of naira were destroyed by the fire.

Most affected were laptops, fridges, cell phones, books, clothes, footwears, cash and other personal effects.

While affected students and their sympathisers were wailing and running helter skelter in attempt to rescue their property, hoodlums were having a field day, stealing some of the personal effects which students were able to deposit outside the burning hostel.

Public Relations Officer of the institution, Mr Desmond Wosu, who confirmed the incident, expressed gratitude to God that no casualty was recorded. He equally commended Rivers State Fire Service, Total and Agip Oil Company fire services for their swift response to the emergency situation.

The image maker while addressing newsmen, later in the day, denied that there were no fire extinguishers in each of the hostels as being alleged, adding that RSUST authorities had outlawed use of gas cookers in the hostels.

He said the university authorities had started investigations to unravel cause, as according to him, the actual cause was yet not known.

Mr Wosu, however, said that the authorities of the institution were making alternative accommodation arrangement for students displaced by the incident.

Vice President of the Student Union Government (SUG), Esther Agbagba said all she knew was that smoke was coming out from the said student hostel while students were running for safety.

She expressed sadness that the affected students would be looking for where to live and appealed to authorities to make alternative arrangement for their accommodation.

But Miss Chioma, one of the victims, who spoke to The Tide in tears said, “ I was bathing when I heard about the fire and attendant commotion, I was confused and did not know what direction to run to even with soap foam all over my body.”

She said as she managed to run out, she could not bring out any of her belongings.

Chris Oluoh & Eunice Choko-Kayode