A female hostel in the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) has been razed by fire with properties worth millions of Naira damaged.
An eye witness, Joy Uwalaka, explained that the inferno was said to have been caused by power outage in the university community, she added that as soon as Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC, restored the power on campus around 7.30pm with a very high voltage, the two storey hostel building caught fire from the last floor.
Although majority of the students are on Christmas vacation, she also said when other students that were around saw the fire and started screaming ‘fire, fire’ that was when she took to flight from her 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.
Before Enugu state fire service brigade men could arrive at the scene, the hostel which houses about 300 students, had been wiped out by the inferno.
Mr. Patrick Aroh, the Chief Fire Officer, Enugu North senatorial district, claimed they responded on time but could not do much because of water shortage.
He stated that they did all they could, rushed in immediately the distress call was received about the 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, due to dryness of the two bore-holes, before the tanks could be refilled outside the campus, the last floor had been completely razed.
