Tuesday, November 18, 2025 - Two siblings, aged 9 and 5, were burnt to d3ath following a fire outbreak that destroyed properties worth millions of naira in Rivers State.
The incident occurred at the Rumuola axis of Obio/Akpor
local government area on Sunday night, November 16, 2025.
According to Punch, the fire was said to have started
from one of the rooms of a makeshift building where a mother had locked her
four children and gone out to buy some items for cooking.
Eyewitnesses said of the four children, two were already asleep while their elder siblings were still awake when the fire started at about 10 pm.
An eyewitness debunked social media reports that the inferno
occurred inside the Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic, Rumuola, saying it
actually happened behind the school.
He said the makeshift structures which were completely
razed, housed many rooms with over 27 families living there, even as he
expressed sadness that they had been rendered homeless.
“It is a makeshift building behind the school. It is a gory
site. I’m standing beside two children who have lost their lives in this fire.
Their bodies have been covered," he said.
Another eyewitness, simply identified as Meg, said, “The fire started from the woman who lost her two children. She was cooking at about 10 pm yesterday (Sunday). The stove she was using to cook was on. She then locked the door to go and 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 heat from the fire. So that was how the two younger children
were burnt to d3ath.”
He further said the elder children were banging the door of
their room, shouting for help from neighbours without response, before they
found a way of escape, while their younger siblings, aged six and eight years
respectively, were burnt beyond recognition.
According to the punch, over 27 families have been rendered
homeless as they could not salvage their properties before firefighters
arrived.
It was further gathered that some neighbours and passers-by who saw thick black smoke billowing into the atmosphere later put a call across to the fire service.
Upon arrival, though late, the firefighters succeeded in
putting out the fire and preventing it from spreading.
The spokesperson of the State Police Command, SP Grace
Iringe-Koko, confirmed the fire outbreak and the d3ath of the children.
“From the situation report I received, the children were
aged nine and five years. We have started an investigation to ascertain the cause of
the fire. The woman (mother) has been invited for questioning as part of our
investigation,” she stated.
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