Two-Year Old Burnt To Death In Ebonyi

An inferno last Thursday burnt a two-year old boy and property worth millions of naira at Ekuluobia Street, Kpiripiri in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.

The fire, which started at about 9:50am, destroyed the 15 rooms in the building.

Items destroyed by the inferno included refrigerators, mattresses, sofa, electronics, documents, among others.

A victim and caretaker of the house, Stanley Nze, lamented the fire outbreak, saying, “there was an electricity spark, and within seconds, there was fire everywhere.

“I am the caretaker and a prospective corps member. I have lost all my documents to the fire, and am supposed to join other corps members in few days’ time.

“We have 24 rooms in all, but 15 rooms were burnt with no items rescued.

“The most painful is a two-year old boy that lost his life,” he said.

Nze said that after some efforts, fire fighters were able to arrest the situation, and pleaded for assistance from the government and other well spirited individuals.

The Chief Fire Officer in the state, James Owoh, who expressed worry over the tragedy, said his men responded promptly to the situation, and regretted the loss of the little boy and other items.

He said, “we arrived immediately after we were contacted, and were able to put off the fire to avoid it escalating.

“We still plead with the public to procure 6kg fire extinguisher for their homes to fight fire before the arrival of fire authorities.”

The Executive Secretary, State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Ken Ozioma, condoled with the family of the deceased boy.