It was a sorrow filled day in Tundun Tanda in the Hadejia Local Government Area of Jigawa State where a family lost a set of triplets along with the brother of the trio.
The victims were identified as Hassan Sule, Hussain Sule, Muhusin Sule and Danladi Sule. The fire started when an unattended mosquito coil set a mattress on fire. The age of the triplets was 5. Danladi was allegedly 5 months old according to the state fire service.
The parents also suffered wounds from the fire. Residents and neighbours rushed to the aid of the family when they saw the fire happening without the help of the fire service. The children were rescued from the burning building and taken to hospital where they later died.
Lawan Gagarawa the Public Relations officer of the Jigawa State Fire Service stated in a text to PUNCH Metro on Monday, that several valuables were consumed in the fire which broke out at around 10pm on Saturday.
However, he put the reason of the fire down to a mosquito net which caught fire after the coil touched it.
“A fire involving a house occupied by Alhaji Sule Mohammed located at Tudun Tanda Quarters, Hadejia town, on Saturday around 10om affected a set of triplets of five years and a baby of about five months old, namely Hassan Hussaini, Muhusin and Danladi.
The fire was said to have originated from a burning mosquito coil which ignited a net in which the children were sleeping. As such, four children were killed and property worth thousands of naira was destroyed by the fire.
I appeal to members of the public to report any emergency case before it escalates to an uncontrollable stage.” Lawan said
DSP Abudu Jinjiri who also responded to the incident said the police recorded three fatalities.
“The report we got was that the fire started from a mosquito coil. The burning coil fell on the mattress the triplets slept on and started the fire. The fire started around 10pm. The triplets were rushed to a hospital by the police, but they died while receiving treatment.”
However, Mr. Adamu Shehu, the spokesman for the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in the state told News Agency of Nigeria that the fire was caused by a malfunctioning electrical appliance.
“The fire caused the death of four children. It also consumed property worth thousands of naira.
We suspect that the fire was caused by an electric spark from a water boiler. The public should exercise caution when handling electrical appliances, particularly during the harmattan, to forestall fire incidents.”