Fire kills mother, 7 children in Ebonyi

A mother and seven of her children died in an inferno in Ebonyi state on Saturday.

George Okafor, police public relations officer PPRO, told NAN that the incident occurred at Ohufu village, Ogboji community of Ishiellu local government area of the state.

“We have commenced investigations into the matter and would make its outcome public on conclusion,” he said.

“The cause of the fire could not be ascertained immediately as we would determine this in the course of the investigations.”

Witnesses also told NAN that the victims met their death when the two thatched houses they were sleeping suddenly caught fire at about 3am.

“The mother of the children was trapped in the inferno while battling to save them, as only her husband Sylvanus Nwefuru and one of their children, Ukamaka, survived the incident,” a witness said.

Henry Eze, caretaker chairman of Ishiellu local government council, lamented the disaster and called on security agencies to investigate the matter.

“We are still grappling to comprehend this mysterious incident, but as a council we will educate the populace to shun acts that cause fire outbreaks,” he said.

Ebonyi has been hit with spates of fire outbreaks since the beginning of 2016, which had caused the destruction of property worth millions of naira.

Prominent among the disasters were those of a section of the Abakaliki main market and a highly populated residential building in the town.