A devastating fire on Sunday consumed a bungalow located at No. 8, Edegbe Ugbogbo Street, off Three House Road, Upper Sokponba, Benin, Edo State, destroying property worth several millions of naira. The inferno claimed personal belongings, including academic credentials and vital documents, leaving the affected occupants in distress.
The house, owned by a retired officer, was unoccupied during the incident as the residents, including the officer’s children, were attending a church service. Upon their return, they found the bungalow completely gutted by flames, while two other buildings in the compound remained untouched.
Smart Oriakhi, one of the affected occupants, recounted their experience. “We were in Mosoga, attending a harvest thanksgiving service at our sister’s church, when my father called us from Port Harcourt to inform us that our house was on fire,” she said.
The family rushed home immediately, only to find the house reduced to ashes. Oriakhi expressed her anguish, saying, “Everything in the house, including my academic credentials, documents, clothes, bags, and furniture, was destroyed.”
Initially, the family suspected a gas cylinder explosion, but witnesses clarified that the cylinder and generator had been salvaged. The fire reportedly started in Oriakhi’s younger brother’s room, which had been unused for two weeks. The family suspects the cause may have been related to an epileptic power supply.
This tragic incident has left the family devastated, with no immediate clues as to what triggered the fire. The loss of valuable belongings and irreplaceable documents has added to the emotional toll.
