No fewer than six persons were reportedly confirmed dead as fire destroys property in Rivers Community on Sunday evening.

Pa Fidelis Ezinne, 70, was the lone survivor after four members of his family and friends were killed in the inferno that destroyed their home in Ngbede village, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local government area of Rivers state.

Some of the victims were Ezinne’s children and grandkids, according to Ezinne, who survived the attack.

At around 6:30 p.m., Ezinne said he heard sounds from a generating set in one of the rooms, which he believes may have prompted the explosion.

“I was sitting outside before my freezer blew. Then what we saw was light (explosion), which injured everybody in the vicinity. This was between 6:30p.m. and 7:00p.m. About six people died. My son, a woman, her child, the daughter of my wife and one other person. If the government wants to help, let them come and help me,” he pleaded.

Another witness, Eric, told reporters that the fire was started by an electrical issue.

“I was outside the house along the road when we heard people screaming fire, fire. Before we got there, everywhere was on fire. We rushed those affected to the hospital, but they didn’t make it,” he said.

In response to the event, God knows Nkem, the commander of a Vigilante group in the region, warned citizens to exercise caution when handling flammable goods.

“What happened is very regrettable at this festive period. The loss of six able men and women is unfortunate. I want to use this medium to advise all and sundry to be mindful of all flammable materials, especially during this festive period. Life is one thing that all of us must guide well. This is dry season, people should be mindful of what they use, what they keep in their houses, especially flammable materials to avoid disaster.”

𝑳𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕?
𝑾𝒆’𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑷𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒙 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒘!