Fire kills 83-year-old woman in Dutse

Outbreaks raze 50 shops, 30 containers of fish, three duplexes in Kano, Lagos
An 83-year-old woman, identified as Malama Sa’idatu Isiyaku, was on Saturday consumed by fire in Qujala Village of Dutse Local Government Area of Jigawa State.

The Jigawa police command spokesman, DSP Abdu Jinjiri, who confirmed the incident in Dutse to newsmen, said the fire, which started around 4:50a.m. was suspected to have been ignited by a burning firewood lit by the deceased to keep her room warm, due to the harmattan.

“The police received a report that a burning firewood was kept inside the room of one Sa’adatu Isyaku aged 83 of Kwajala village in Dutse LGA. She kept the firewood burning in order to keep the room warm and as result, she was engulfed by the fire, burnt and died on the spot,” Jinjiri said.

According to the police spokesman, her body was removed and taken to the hospital by the police, only to be confirmed dead by the doctor on arrival. The police have handed over the body of the deceased to her relatives, who have since buried her according to Muslim rites.

The police have also warned members of the public against indiscriminate and careless use of fire, especially during the harmattan season.

In another development, no fewer than 50 shops were burnt at the Yankifi Market in Kano on Saturday night. The spokesperson of the State Fire Service, Saidu Mohammed, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano yesterday that the fire also razed 30 containers of fish.

He said: “We received a distress call yesterday around 8:02p.m. from a good Samaritan that there is fire a outbreak at the market. On receiving the information, we quickly sent our fire fighting vehicle to the scene at 8:06p.m.”

Mr. Mohammed hinged the incident on an electric spark from a power change-over device. He advised residents to be more careful in the way they use electrical appliances so as to forestall future fire accidents. 

Meanwhile, a fire outbreak on Friday night gutted three duplexes on 34 Road, B Close of Gowon Estate, Egbeda, Lagos State.

According to Director of the Lagos State Fire Service, Mr Rasaq Fadipe, two fire trucks from Ikotun and Agege were on ground noting that there was, however, no casualty recorded in the inferno.

An eyewitness said the fire was first noticed around 7:15p.m. in one of the duplexes before spreading to others. He said an occupant in one of the duplexes, who had just returned to the apartment, opened the door and met the raging fire, immediately raised an alarm, which attracted neighbours and sympathisers.

According to the witness, the bewildered occupant’s action quickly attracted more sympathisers’ who ran helter-skelter in assisting to put off the fire, but their efforts were not enough.

However, the arrival and efforts of a combined team of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and State Fire Service officials to the scene helped to quench the fire.

Some of the residents commended the early arrival of the LASEMA personnel, saying that they got to the scene 30 minutes after being called.

“They came with five trucks, all with sufficient water that tackled the inferno before it was finally put-off,’’ the Community Development Association (CDA) Chairman, Mr Nathanel Okoro, said.