Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
At least two vehicles and 15 motorcycles were said to have been burnt after a section of the Otukpo residence of the former Senate president, David Mark, went up in flames.
The fire, according to eyewitnesses, was said to have spread from a nearby bush bordering the fence of his guest house and spread to a section of the premises where the two ambulances and the 15 motorcycles were kept.
Some workers within the residence who saw the raging fire quickly moved to put it off but could not .
Officials of the Benue State Fire Service, Otukpo Office were alerted when efforts by workers and neighbours to put out the fire failed.
“We made every effort to quench the fire but the more we tried the more it continued to spread. It was when we noticed that we could not stop it so that it did not burn the guest house that we called fire service,” one of the workers told newsmen.
Confirming the incidence in a statement signed by one of his aides, Elijah Adakole, Mark said no life was lost.
The statement entitled: “Fire incident at David Mark’s Otukpo house”, read thus, “Earlier this morning (Thursday 2nd 2020), fire incident was reported in the Otukpo residence of the former Senate President, Senator (Dr) David Mark.
“The cause of the incident is yet to be ascertained but some properties including 15 motorcycles and two vehicles were burnt.
“The arrival of the Fire Service personnel prevented the inferno from spreading to the entire building. The fire has since been put out. No life was lost.”