By Ikechukwu Uchechukwu CALABAR—A woman and her seven-year-old daughter died Wednesday froma generator fire which also razed their
apartment located at15 Andem Street, 8
miles, on the outskirt of Calabar metropolis in Cross Rivers State.
Vanguard learned that two other family
members, including husband of the
deceased, Mr. Lawrence, and his
brother-in-law, who also sustained burns
are currently hospitalised.
Old generator set
It was gathered that the duo were trying
to refill the generator with petrol when it
caught fire.
However, a source who preferred anonymity, revealed to Vanguard that the generator had not been in use for a long time, and that the husband of the
deceased had instructed his brother-in-
law to re-engage it.
Having fuelled the tank, the young man was said to have yanked off the cord before the generator exploded.
A neighbour, Mrs. Gift Peters, said of the
incident: “It had been long since they
used that generator, so the man, Mr.
Lawrence, asked the boy to start the
generator and warm it properly since it
had been long since they used it. So they bought the fuel and put in it. Immediately
they started the generator, it exploded.”
Explosion
Vanguard gathered that the explosion set off other generators belonging to the deceased, and also that of the occupants
of the twin flat which were all lined up at
the backyard and walled in by burglary
proof.
Occupants of the twin flat were said to
have fled upon sighting the fire, but the
deceased and her daughter were
reported to have been trapped inside their
own apartment as the doors and windows
apparently were shut in the heat of the flames.
Eyewitnesses said they noticed the fire at
about 8:45 pm Wednesday , and battled
to put out the flames while alerting the
Quick Intervention Squad, QIS.
One neighbour, Mr. Age Edward, said:
“When I heard that there was a fire, I
rushed over to assist since they are my
neighbours. When I arrived, the fire was
so thick that we could not help out.
‘’We tried all we could to quench the fire,
it was so horrible, it was later I heard
that the man’s wife and child were inside.
“Personally, I contacted Quick
Response, QIS. I called over three
times, they did not respond. The first time
it was busy, the second time it rang and
stopped, the third time, it rang and
stopped. I did not have Fire Service number on the phone I was using
yesterday. ‘’I didn’t bother to call
anybody again. I tried my best since I
am equally a public servant. We did our
best, though it was not enough.”
When Vanguard contacted fire division of
the QIS, the officials said they
responded promptly, contrary to
neighbours who disclosed that the fire
men arrived two hours after they were
called, and that they ran out of water.
Unit Commander of Fire Service at the
QIS, Mr. Daniel Ibor, said his men
arrived the scene 30 minutes after they
were called due to the distance from
Calabar to 8 Miles, which is on the
outskirt of the city.
He said: “We were called at about 9:30
pm and immediately we turned out for the
fire. It is quite unfortunate that the fire
involved fuel.
‘We did our best’
‘’Despite the distance, we still did our
best to get there on time. We have been
asking people not to put fuel into a steaming generator. We advised them to
allow it cool first. ‘
’If it was a free burning fire, by the time
we got there, we still could’ve saved a lot.
Our response really stopped the fire from
spreading to other property.”
He further explained that the water in
their truck got depleted and that they had
to collect more from the fire unit of the
Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, and not
from a private water tank as some
eyewitnesses reported. www.vanguardngr.com/2015/10/woman-7-year-old-daughter-die-in-calabar-inferno/ 
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