An eight-month-old baby is feared d3ad following a fire that gutted two self-contained buildings on Rumuowolu Street in Eneke, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Two of the seven units of the self-contained apartments were affected by the fire which occurred on Monday, January 13, 2025.
According to Punch, the mother of the baby, who had raced to the burning house to rescue her two children, sustained injuries in the process.
While the other, a two-year-old baby survived but with severe injuries, the eight-month-old did not make it, as the woman fainted when she came out.
The Rivers State Emergency Medical Service later arrived at the scene and took the two kids to the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital.
A neighbour identified as Charity who witnessed the incident told newsmen that there was no electricity when the fire broke out.
“We don’t know how the fire came up. The mother was not around. She went to buy something when this happened. Suddenly, we heard somebody start shouting, ‘Fire, fire.’ They are two (kids), the first one escaped and came out dragging the gate. In the process, the flame of the fire burnt the boy and they rushed him to the hospital and their mother was also affected by the fire,” she narrated.
She said while the boy was still struggling with the gate, the woman forcefully opened it but was herself burnt in an attempt to rescue her child.
“So that was how the fire burnt the boy,” she added.
She called on the Rivers State Government to come to their aid.
“There was nothing left for them. Everything, even, the boy didn’t survive it. But we pray that God should heal the other. We are calling on the Rivers State Government to come and assist them because they are left with nothing, no clothes, nothing at all. We don’t know where they will start from. They should assist them.”
It was further gathered that neighbours were able to put out the fire and prevent it from spreading to other buildings.