Fire Fighters in Enugu Escape Mob Attack For Arriving Late to Fire Scene

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines Thursday, November 21st, 2013

Ignatius Okpara, Enugu

Men of the Enugu State Fire Service Wednesday escaped mob attack, following their late arrival to a scene of fire disaster at Uwani, in Enugu city.

Our correspondent gathered that the office was immediately contacted as soon as the fire began, but the officials got to the scene with one vehicle about 1 hour 30 minutes later.

Before their arrival, the mystery fire had already burnt one bungalow housing a boutique and furniture showroom to ashes.

Angered by the late arrival of the fire fighting men, residents of the area numbering over 500, began to throw stone on the officials on sighting the Fire Service vehicle, a situation that made the driver to zoom off from the area.

When African Examiner visited the scene, some youths were seen making frantic efforts to quell the fire even though, they could not save the building that was completed burnt, they succeeded in preventing the fire from spreading to other nearby houses.

Narrating her ordeal to newsmen, one of the victims, Mrs. Grace Okonkwo, said the fire disaster had ruined their life.

The woman, who could not be consoled, disclosed that her husband travelled to the village.

She said, “I just left to get my kid from school but on coming back here, I can’t find our showroom again.

“All we have in this life is gone; people have already paid for most of the furniture there; where do we go from here” she lamented

Speaking also to our correspondent, an angry resident of the area who do not want his name in print said the building got burnt because of the late arrival of the fire fighting men .

“What the youths did to them is right because they are not doing anything in Enugu State. They have never quenched any fire in this state.

“In this case, they were called as soon as this fire started but they got here almost two hours later; that’s not how to attend to emergency”, he stated.

He pleaded with the government and other relevant agencies to assist the victims of the disaster.