A fire on Rumuowolu Street in Eneke, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Rivers State, destroyed two independent buildings, raising concerns about the safety of an eight-month-old infant.
The fire that broke out on Monday, January 13, 2025, affected two of the seven units of the self-contained apartments.
The report claims that the baby’s mother was hurt while rushing to the flaming house to save her two children.
The eight-month-old did not survive because the lady fainted after she emerged, but the second kid, a two-year-old, lived despite suffering serious injuries.
The two children were then transported to the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital by the Rivers State Emergency Medical Service.
When the fire started, there was no electricity, according to a neighbour named Charity who saw the event.
“We don’t know how the fire came up. The mother was not around. She went to buy something when this happened. Suddenly, we heard somebody start shouting, ‘Fire, fire.’ They are two (kids), the first one escaped and came out dragging the gate. In the process, the flame of the fire burnt the boy and they rushed him to the hospital and their mother was also affected by the fire,” she narrated.
She claimed that the lady tried to save her child by forcing open the gate while the youngster was still having trouble with it, but she ended up getting burned in the process.
So that was how the fire burnt the boy,” she added.
She urged the government of Rivers State to assist them.
“There was nothing left for them. Everything, even, the boy didn’t survive it. But we pray that God should heal the other. We are calling on the Rivers State Government to come and assist them because they are left with nothing, no clothes, nothing at all. We don’t know where they will start from. They should assist them.”
It was also learnt that the fire was extinguished by the neighbours, preventing it from spreading to adjacent buildings.