Sapele residents recount experiences in fire incident

Mysterious fire  that engulfed  a large building on Uko road in the Gana area of Sapele, Delta State has left several persons counting their loses.

Shops and over 40 rooms were destroyed as the building was completely razed down.

According to witnesses, the inferno began around 1:00 a.m. and engulfed the entire structure.

One of the victims, Jane Adeboye, who is pregnant said she was still in shock.  “I only have these clothes on my back now. I don’t know where my children and I will go. I’m just praying this is not a bad omen.”

Other residents in the building described the scene as they tried to escape the raging inferno.

According to one Maria Agbor, a single mother of three children:

“I was sleeping when I started smelling something burning. When I came outside, the whole building was on fire. I just took my children and ran outside in my night dress.”

Sunday Ossai, a trader said he lost everything in the fire, adding “I had just finished stocking up for the week. Now all my goods, freezers, machines, everything is gone. I don’t know what I will do now.

“The cause of the fire is still unknown but it is suspected to have started by a fire since we have not had light for days now.’’

A local vigilant group member, one Elijah Omozuwa who said he was outside that night narrated: “Within minutes, the whole place was on fire. It was really frightening. By the time firefighters arrived, the inferno was impossible to control.”

Nigerian Tribune reports that the firefighters from Seplat energy, an oil company, battled the blaze for hours but insufficiency of water hampered efforts.

One of the firemen, who craved anonymity said: “When we got the distress call, we arrived promptly but there was no source of water. We had to go far to get water before we could start fighting the fire.

“By the time the fire was contained, the entire building had been burnt. Shops and over 40 rooms are believed to have been destroyed in the inferno displacing dozens of families. “

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