6 Children, 2 More Die In Tragic Fire Outbreak At Former Minister's House

Eight people are said to have died in a tragic fire that overwhelmed the residence of former minister of state for education, Hajiya Bintu Ibrahim Musa, at Garki Area 8 in Abuja.

Jamila Kasimu, who was among five people who survived the fire outbreak, told Daily Trust that they were sleeping in the house when they suddenly became aware of the smoke.

She narrated that it was almost midnight, while sleeping in the living room that they were suddenly awoken by the smoke.

Jamila said they were all women and children sleeping on the top floor of the two storey building when the fire started, saying in the confusion they began shouting for help and knocking the bedroom doors to wake those sleeping.

She said, out of the eight people that died, six were children; four young boys and two girls, while two women also died.

Jamila lamented that a daughter of the owner of the house who died, also lost two children in the fire tragedy. The former minister, Hajiya Bintu Ibrahim Musa, was said to be hospitalized at a private clinic in Abuja, with severe skin burns along with another daughter who was also hospitalized after the fire.

Jamila explained that there were many relatives and friends of the family in the house because of the wedding of one of the daughters of Hajiya Bintu, held at the weekend.

Daily Trust also gathered that neighbors who attempted to rescue those trapped in the house fire only escaped through windows of the second storey building because of the severity of the fire.

About five survivors who ran out of the building calling for help realized that others were trapped inside and called the attention of neighbors who tried to rescue the victims.

Jamila also said all the victims who died did not suffer severe burns but died from suffocation from inhaling too much smoke.

She noted that some of the children were still breathing when taken out of the building, only to die in hospital as a result of the effect of the choking smoke.

The fire service put out fire around 12 midnight on Monday, 17th February 2014.