Mother, four children burnt to death in Rivers fire

A mother and her four children have died in a fire outbreak at Okochiri community in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The incident happened on Friday morning at their residence. The cause of the fire is yet to be officially confirmed, but a source said it started when someone was pouring petrol into a jerrycan. The fuel reportedly ignited in the process.

The source said the petrol was suspected to be adulterated. The Commander of the Civilian Joint Task Force in Okrika LGA, Igwe Godswill, confirmed the incident. He said he and his team met the lifeless bodies of the woman and her children when they got to the scene.

“There are no proper details as to what happened. But when we got there, we saw that about four children and their mother, a total of five persons, were burnt and died,” Godswill said.

He added that the police had already arrived to take details and that local youths had put out the fire before his team arrived. The victims were believed to have died before the fire was extinguished.

“The police had already arrived and taken proper details of what happened. It is so disheartening that this is happening again in our community,” he said.

Godswill called for an investigation to determine the exact cause of the fire.

A video from the scene seen by our correspondent showed the building badly damaged, with its roof destroyed, while a woman complained about the cramped nature of the house.

The Rivers State Police spokesperson, Blessing Agabe, also confirmed the incident. She said the mother and three of her children died, while other occupants sustained injuries.

Agabe, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, said property worth thousands of naira was destroyed and that investigation has commenced.

“Yes, there was a fire incident in which a woman and her three children tragically lost their lives, while others sustained injuries. Property estimated at thousands of naira was also destroyed in the inferno. Investigation is ongoing to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident and determine the cause of the fire outbreak,” she said.