By Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt and Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse
The Jigawa State police command yesterday confirmed the death of six people in a fire outbreak at a petrol station in Marke town of Kaugama council of the state.
Police spokesman Lawal Shiisu said the fire broke out at Al-Masfa Global Enterprise Nigeria Ltd about 6am, adding that a “team of policemen rushed to the scene and conveyed the bodies of the dead as well as the injured to Hadejia General Hospital.
The police spokesman said four people died instantly while two passed away later in hospital.
Shiisu said the fire started when “the station was selling the petrol to motorists”.
In Rivers State, a midnight fire destroyed over 30 makeshift houses at an estate near Y-Junction in Rumuagholu area of Port Harcourt, the state capital.
It was gathered that a two-year-old boy died in the blaze that started at 1am on Monday.
The fire was said to have started from one room and spread to other apartments in the area.
The parents of the children were reportedly out of the house when the incident happened, a source said.
“A two-year-old boy died in the fire. He was sleeping in the room with his elder siblings when the fire started.
“The fire got to their house and there was nobody to help them,” the source said.