Twenty five lives were saved from fire disaster on Sunday, January 15, 2012, at Soku (Okwelle) Street, Mile II Diobu, Port Harcourt at about 2am.
Strangely the savior of the lives of the people was a little child who urinated on his father. His father’s attempt to clean him up that led to the discovery of the raging fire.
Co-operative youths resident at the area battled to put out the fire for almost two and a half hours before the arrival of the fire fighters who allegfedly demanded for N100,000 before they would put out the fire totally.
But the house owners and the courageous youths turned down their demand and finally quenched fire that gutted household properties in two of the three rooms’ apartment of the landlord’s younger son.
Many are still dumb-founded about the handiwork of God saving 25 lives who were already sleeping in their different apartments when the fire started melting up the plastic roofing in one of the rooms, gradually making its way through to other properties, without the knowledge of the younger son of the landlord, his wife and three week old baby girl who were still sleeping together with other 22 adults and children in the compound of the landlord’s eldest son with his family inclusive.
By divine intervention, as some claimed, the little boy urinated on his dad, who later woke up from sleep to change the boys’ clothes and his, and eventually opened his door to visit the convenience, when he was greeted with a cloud of smoke and fire glowing and spreading like wildfire.
He raised alarm that woke up others from sleep and also called on their families to wake up, alerting neighbours as well.
Mothers tried to exit their children first before struggling to take out their properties.
They climbed to the roof with ladder, broke the asbestos on the building and kept pouring water made available from a gigantic water tank.
The battle continued for almost two and a half hours before the arrival of the fire fighters who allegedly demanded for the huge sum of money from the victims. ###
Angela Inyena Anietie
