Two children have died and at least 27 families have been displaced after a late-night fire swept through a cluster of makeshift buildings in the Rumuola area of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The incident occurred around 10 p.m. on Sunday in the shanty estate behind Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic. Residents said the fire spread rapidly through the tightly packed wooden and zinc structures, destroying property worth millions of naira and leaving dozens homeless.
According to eyewitnesses, the blaze is believed to have started in a room where a mother was cooking on a stove and allegedly locked her four children inside before stepping out to buy ingredients.
A resident, identified simply as Edidiong, said two of the children were already asleep when the fire broke out.
“It is a makeshift building behind the school. It is a gory sight. I’m standing beside two children who have lost their lives in this fire,” she said, adding that all the structures were completely razed.
She explained that the two older children, who were awake, attempted to rescue their younger siblings but were forced to flee due to the intensity of the flames.
“The stove she was using to cook was on. She locked the door and went to buy some ingredients. When she came back, the fire had engulfed the buildings… The two children who were awake tried to save their younger siblings but later ran out because of the severity of the fire. That was how the two younger children were burnt to death,” Edidiong recounted.
Spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident and the deaths.
She said preliminary information showed the deceased children were nine and five years old.
“From the situation report I received, the children were aged nine and five years. We have started investigation to ascertain the cause of the fire. The mother has been invited for questioning as part of our investigation,” Iringe-Koko said.
Emergency services were called to the scene, but residents said the fire had already destroyed most of the structures before it could be brought under control.
Survivors have appealed to the Rivers State Government, humanitarian agencies, and well-meaning Nigerians for urgent assistance with shelter, food, clothing, and school materials for their children as they try to rebuild their lives after the tragedy.
