A fire outbreak that occurred at the Bishop Crowther Memorial Seminary School, Awka, Anambra state resulted in the death of one of its students.
The fire which gutted one of the hostels in the school, happened over the weekend.
Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officer of the Anambra State Fire Service, Mr. Harrison Nwegwu in a statement to newsmen on Sunday, said the Service received a distress call at about 11:30 pm on Saturday, 18th May 2024, reporting a fire outbreak in one of the school’s hostels.
This he said, made them immediately deploy their Firefighters and one of the fire trucks to the scene of the incident and put off the fire.
While noting that the cause of the fire outbreak is yet to be unraveled, Nwegwu, however, confirmed that one of the students of the school died during the fire outbreak and has been taken to the mortuary.
Giving an update on the incident, Mr. Nwegwu said the Anambra State Fire Service Chief, Engr. Chukwudi Emmanuel Chiketa visited the scene again at 10:55 am on Sunday, for a first-hand inspection and assessment of the level of damages caused by the fire outbreak.
Continuing, he said: “The School Principal, Ven. Dr. Emendu who received the Fire Chief narrated how the fire affected a part of the school’s hostel, damaged everything, including mattresses and other students’ belongings therein, and left one dead. According to the Principal, there was no other casualty, and no injury was recorded.
“Dr. Emendu commended the State Fire Service, whom, he testified, that they arrived promptly on time as soon as was called and prevented the raging fire from further escalation to other parts of the building.
“The Fire Chief sympathized with the school management and the entire students of Bishop Crowther Memorial Seminary School, Awka, urging them to take heart as God will console them in his way.”
He also commiserated with the family of the deceased who at the time of the visit were still on their way to the school, stating that it’s always painful and heartbreaking to lose a child, not to talk of in such a situation of fire outbreak. He prayed to God to give them the fortitude to bear the loss.
