Barely 24 hours after a building was gutted by fire at Third Marine Gate in the heart of Warri, another building, a secondary school, was on Friday engulfed by fire at Aladja Grammar School in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State.
The incident occurred at about 4:21 p.m on Friday, January 3, with the ravaging fire destroying property worth a fortune in the school building, particularly the laboratory.
Reports say no life was lost, however, there was uneasy calm among residents who waited for help from firefighters who reportedly arrived late after much damage had been caused.
Meanwhile, President of Aladja Community Council, Elder Otto Ogbiruveta, who confirmed the incident, said, “It is true about the fire. I’m right at the spot to assess the situation.
“We called the Fire Service from Premium Mines &Steel Ltd (formerly DSC), but before they came, our boys, who were on ground, had tried locally to quench the fire. They (fire service) assisted us, but by this time, serious damage has been done.
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“Mostly affected is the School’s Laboratory. The fire would have spread but for the quick intervention of our people on ground and later, the fire service.
“We cannot ascertain the cause of the fire at the moment but they said, somebody somewhere lighted fire outside which spread into school compound.”
Elder Ogbiruveta, therefore, appealed to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to assist the community to fence the School.
According to him, if the school were fenced, the fire wouldn’t have spread into the school compound.
and then