JOS: Residents of Mangu town in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State have been thrown into deep mourning following the death of six siblings in a late-night fire outbreak.
A resident, Saidu Nasir, confirmed the incident to Saturday PUNCH on Friday, describing the tragedy as devastating for the family.
Six children eventually died from the fire incident. I know their father; he is a vulcanizer.
The family is in deep mourning, and we pray that God comforts them, Nasir said.
Family members disclosed that the children, aged between four months and 12 years, died at their residence around the Old Mangu Market area.
An uncle of the victims, Umar Babangida, said the fire started at about 2am.
According to him, the children’s mother sustained severe burns while attempting to rescue them and is currently receiving treatment at Allah Nakowa Hospital in Mangu.
He explained that the woman and her nine children had been watching television until about 11pm before retiring for the night.
Later, the three male children went to sleep, leaving the mother with the six younger ones, Babangida said.
The exact cause of the fire could not immediately be determined.
We cannot categorically say what caused the incident. There was power supply before they went to bed. Around 2:30am, we received a distress call that fire had engulfed the house, he added.
He noted that the mother made frantic efforts to rescue the children but was overwhelmed by the flames, resulting in the injuries she sustained.
Babangida further disclosed that Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, and the Chairman of Mangu Local Government Area visited the bereaved family to commiserate with them.
According to him, the governor urged the family to take solace in the tragedy and promised government support to help rebuild the destroyed house.
We are grateful to everyone who came to our rescue. During the incident, we witnessed love from both Muslims and Christians who came out in large numbers to help, he said.
