A devastating midnight fire has claimed the lives of five members of a family and destroyed property worth millions of naira at Kofar Sauri Community in Katsina metropolis.
The blaze, which occurred in the early hours of Monday, precisely at about 3:00 am, consumed the home before neighbours could intervene, leaving the community in deep shock and mourning.
The victims, 35-year-old Muhammad Habibu, his wife Fatima Muhammad, and their three children, Khadija, female, Abubakar, male and Aliyu, male, were all burnt to death beyond recognition.
The husband, Muhammad Habibu was until his death, a casual staff member at the Katsina State Water Board.
Although the actual cause of the fire is yet to be identified, residents however said that it was triggered by a high voltage when electricity was restored to the area.
The fire reportedly started from the living room and quickly spread throughout the entire building of the victim’s house when the family was deeply asleep.
Magaji Bala, one of the victims’ neighbours, lamented that residents often go days without electricity, only for high voltage to cause havoc whenever power is restored in the community.
“Such cases have been happening in some parts of the Katsina metropolis. Recently, a similar incident nearly happened. This calls for caution among residents,” he noted.
Eyewitnesses said attempts by neighbours to extinguish the flames failed, decrying that officials of the Katsina State Fire Service arrived at the scene late.
Kasim Aliyu, a relative of the victims said he heard a woman’s voice from afar saying, “Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihir- raji’un”(Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we shall all return).
“I initially thought it was normal until around 3:30 a.m., when I sensed something was wrong.
“The fire gutted the house around 3:00 a.m. I sensed something at that time but didn’t know what it was until I received a call around 4:00 a.m. informing me that my brother and his entire family had died in the fire. May their souls be admitted into Aljannah Firdausi.”
“The head of the household was my younger brother from the same father”, Kasim stated.
The Chief Fire Officer of the Katsina State Fire Service, Rabe Kurmiyal, when contacted confirmed that the fire was finally extinguished by fire fighters, contrary to eyewitnesses claims.
Residents, however, urged authorities to address the frequent occurrence of such disasters, which claim lives and destroy property within minutes.
Meanwhile the Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Hajiya Binta Dangani, while commiserating with the families, friends, and neighbours of the victims, described the incident as the will of God and prayed for Allah’s forgiveness for the deceased and their admission into Jannatul Firdausi.
Dangani, who arrived at the scene minutes after the incident, prayed for an end to such disasters.
She, therefore, assured the government’s continued support to the victims’ families, advising residents to always switch off electrical appliances before going to bed and handle fire with utmost care.
“SEMA staff had already conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the damage in preparation for the provision of relief materials”, Dangani disclosed.
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