- Two other buildings razed
Amiddle-aged man was on Sunday rescued alive after allegedly setting ablaze his duplex apartment in Ezinifite, Okpuno in Awka South Local Government of Anambra State.
The man, a dealer in building materials from Abakiliki, Ebonyi State, was said to have committed the arson over lingering depression following unresolved brawl with his wife and children.
The Nation gathered that the wife had connived with the children to seize the papers of the property, including one of the sons who reportedly fled with part of his wealth.
A neighbour who identified himself as Ulasi Obiora alleged that the man’s intention was to wipe away his entire family, including himself.
He said: “The man poured fuel inside their bedroom and put fire which spread to parts of the building before the arrival of men of the fire service.
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“I learnt he’s having various issues with the wife but no one expected he would go to that extent. Thank God everyone in the house escaped before the fire engulfed the building.”
Confirming the incident, State Fire Chief, Dr. Martin Agbili, described it as case of arson, saying the building was already in flames when his men arrived.
He said although some property were destroyed, no life was lost to the inferno.
He further revealed that two other residential apartments were gutted by fire same day in various locations within the state capital.
According to him, one of the inferno occurred at Ugwu Tank, Amawbia in lockup shops, while the other happened at Obiano Close, Rockland Estate, Awka.
He said while the Amawbia inferno was caused by power outage, that of Rockland estate was a result of explosion of inverter batteries.
