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By Paul Osuyi, Asaba
A pregnant woman and her two kids aged three and five, were among residents who escaped death by the whiskers at the weekend when a fire engulfed a residential building in Asaba, Delta State.
The kids were said to have stepped out shortly before the fire started.
The fire, it was learnt, resulted from a candle purported lite by a 14-year old step daughter of the pregnant woman at house number 17, Lolo Uronne Lane, off Fear God Street of the state capital.
Some residents who sustained burnt injuries during the fire incident have been discharged from the hospital while a few others were still being attended to as at the time of filing this report.
Trouble was said to have started about 9:00pm on the fateful day when step-daughter purportedly lite a candlestick and allegedly left it close to where fuel containers belonging to tenants are kept.
The fire, it was gatherd, might have started as the candle stick was left in company of the highly inflammable liquid for too long.
Apart from injury to some occupants, the raging inferno allegedly destroyed vital documents, personal property and undisclosed sum of monies in apartments within the building.
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But for the swift intervention of men of the State Fire Service who arrived at about 10.00pm, the fire could have cause more harm.
Meanwhile, the 14-year old girl who purportedly facilitated the fire, albeit ignorantly, has been detained by the police as a result of unavailability of someone to stand for her release.
Her father, it was learnt, works in Port Harcourt, River State, and only comes home during his vacation.
Police Public Relations Officer of the state police command, DSP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, who confirmed the fire disaster, also confirmed that the girl was in police custody.
“Yes, and the DPO said the journalist that is coming for her bail is not possible. A relation of the girl should come and the stepmother said she is not pleased with what happened because her things also got burnt.
“But we cannot just let the girl go. So, nobody has come for her that is why they have not released her. Because the step-mum who is the closest person to her is right now angry with her, left her in the station.
“They have also called her pastor but that he just returned from a trip or something. So, anytime he shows up, they will release the girl for him so that anytime they need the girl’s attention, somebody should be able to produce her,” she said.
In the meantime, occupants of the il-fated building have called on Oshimili South council authorities as we as the Delta State Government to come to their aid, as they are left with nothing to fall back on, and are currently homeless.
