According to an eyewitness, a taxi driver named Shuaib, thick smoke emerging from the building prompted him to stop and help occupants. “When I got to the house I met only the gateman sleeping at the security post. I had to hit the window with a stone and call for his attention before he ran out and opened the gate. We tried to put out the fire but we did not succeed as it was heavily blazing, consuming everything before the arrival of the firefighters.”
Tragedy struck in Abuja today as properties worth millions of naira were destroyed by a massive fire at Mpape in Abuja. The fire, which gutted a residential building near Grange Hotel, started at around 4 p.m. and was said to have been caused by fire in a nearby bush.
According to an eyewitness, a taxi driver named Shuaib, thick smoke emerging from the building prompted him to stop and help occupants. “When I got to the house I met only the gateman sleeping at the security post. I had to hit the window with a stone and call for his attention before he ran out and opened the gate. We tried to put out the fire but we did not succeed as it was heavily blazing, consuming everything before the arrival of the firefighters.”
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SaharaReporters learned that the occupants of the house travelled during the holiday period and have not returned.
At the time of this report the building was still smoldering, as fire fighters were still battling to put out the fire. Some of the sympathizers blamed the incident on the late arrival of the firefighters, saying that Mpape is about a ten-minute drive from Abuja. It reportedly took firefighters more than an hour before they arrived the scene.