Child Playing With Lighter Sparks Fire in Awka Building

By Praise Chinecherem

A two-bedroom bungalow was gutted by fire on Friday after a child reportedly ignited a lighter and placed it on a foam material in the building along Ken Okoli Street, near Divine Hospital, Awka, Anambra State.

The incident occurred at about 2:45 p.m. and affected the bungalow and its contents. The bungalow forms part of a property comprising the building and another two-storey structure.

According to an eyewitness, the child was playing with a lighter when it was ignited and placed on a foam material.

“The foam caught fire and the flames rapidly spread, engulfing the affected building,” the witness said.

Confirming the incident, the Chief Fire Officer of the Anambra State Fire Service, Engr. Chukwudi Chiketa, said no casualty was recorded.

Chiketa said the Fire Service received a distress call at about 3:30 p.m., after which firefighters were immediately mobilised to the scene.

According to him, firefighters carried out firefighting, containment and extinguishing operations, successfully bringing the blaze under control and securing the scene.

He said preliminary findings indicated that the fire started after a child ignited a lighter and placed it on a foam material.

“The foam caught fire and the flames rapidly spread, eventually engulfing the affected building,” Chiketa said.

He added that the fire affected the two-bedroom bungalow and its contents, while no casualty was recorded.

The firefighting crew, he said, withdrew from the scene at about 4:50 p.m.

Chiketa urged parents and guardians to keep lighters, matches and other fire-starting materials out of children’s reach to prevent similar incidents.

“A moment of unsupervised access to such items can quickly develop into a devastating fire,” he warned.

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