Fire guts UNN female hostel

One of the female hostels of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, was razed by fire with property running into millions of Naira damaged, including personal effects of the students accommodated in the hostel.

An eye witness, who gave her name as Joy Uwalaka, explained that the fire was allegedly caused by power outage in the university community, adding that as soon as Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC, restored power on campus around 7.30pm with a high voltage, the two storey hostel building went up in flames from the last floor.

Though most of the students were said to be on Christmas vacation, the eye witness said “When other students around saw the fire and started screaming ‘fire, fire’ was when I jumped out from my hostel close to Okeke hostel, only to see heavy dark smoke from the building.

“While the fire rages at the last floor of the building, people ran around to put out the fire” she noted.

Meanwhile, before Enugu state fire service brigade men arrived the scene, the hostel which houses about 300 students, had been damage.

Speaking with newsmen on the incident, Mr Patrick Aroh, the Chief Fire officer, Enugu North senatorial district, said though they responded on time but they could not do much due to water shortage.

“My men tried their best; we rushed immediately we received the call that there was fire outbreak at Okeke female hostel of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN. When our water got exhausted, we were unable to get refill from the two bore-holes on campus, owing to dryness of the two bore-holes, before we could refill our tank outside the campus, the last floor had been completely razed.