Tragedy struck the Gobirawa area of Sokoto metropolis on Tuesday as a fire outbreak claimed the lives of an elderly woman and two schoolboys, leaving several families homeless.
The inferno, which occurred in the densely populated neighbourhood, reportedly gutted no fewer than seven residential buildings, destroying properties worth millions of naira.
The deceased woman was identified as a wife of the late Alhaji Sodangi Gobirawa, a former Group Managing Director of Lukuyawa Trading Company.
Eyewitness accounts indicated that the fire originated from a furniture workshop attached to one of the affected buildings, with some residents alleging that the blaze was deliberately ignited by an unidentified person.
However, another version of events attributed the outbreak to a sudden power surge, which reportedly sparked the flames that quickly spread through the closely packed houses.
It was gathered that the fire escalated within minutes, trapping the victims as thick smoke and intense heat filled the buildings, leaving them with no chance of escape.
Residents who rushed to the scene described the incident as devastating, lamenting that all efforts to rescue the victims proved abortive.
A neighbour said, “We heard people shouting and saw fire everywhere.
“Before help could arrive, the situation had already gone out of control.”
As of the time of filing this report, emergency officials were yet to issue an official statement on the cause of the fire.