Fire Razes Shanties in Amukoko
A fire that began from an electrical spark in a wooden shanty at Muri-Ojora, Amukoko razed more than 30 other shanties on Wednesday.
No lives were lost but occupants said they lost all their belongings.
When the distress call sent to the nearest state fire fighting agency was not heeded; youth in the area put up a spirited effort to restrict the inferno from spreading to other properties.
Eye witnesses said the fire started at about 5p.m and raged for hours, consuming two shanty settlements in its wake, before it was brought under control and finally put out.
An occupant of one of the burnt shanties, Saheed Raimi, said he was unable to salvage any of his belongings. "I was at work when I saw the smoke. I rushed home but by the time I got there, the fire had already spread," said Mr. Raimi.
"We tried to control it but because it is wood, it was difficult. "I lost everything, all my children's clothings. I did not remove a pin. I don't know what to do again," Mr. Raimi said.
Young men, working mechanically, struggled to douse the fire by means of fetching water from a nearby canal.
As the inferno consumed the wooden structures, occupants of nearby block houses were thrown into a panic. Mattresses, televisions, tables, and other household items were quickly evacuated from homes into the streets amidst wailing and weeping.
An elderly woman, who lived in one of the burning shanties, let out a heart rending scream. She'd lost all her belongings.
Reuben Obaji lives in one of the block houses and he blamed the fire on the proliferation of wooden houses in the area. "We thank God the fire did not extend beyond the level that we can be able to control," said Mr. Obaji, who lost his laptop and television set to the blaze.
"Even some of those people that came to rescue the fire problem, some came to help us and some came to see what they can steal. "We beg the government to ban any building of pako (wooden) houses around where there is block house," Mr. Obaji added.
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