So sad!
Parish Pastor John Kayode of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC),
Otumara, Warri in Delta State has lost his wife and four kids to a
midnight fire which destroyed the mission house at Emiko Close, Angle
park, part of the main church building and property worth millions of
naira.
According to reports, the fire victims were ‘burnt beyond recognition’.
A neighbor, Bright December, who narrated the tragedy to journalists,
said all rescue efforts of those who came early enough were fruitless
because of the iron protectors on their door.
Read his narration below:
“Last night at about 11pm, some men were going around, it was like
they noticed there was light problem, they were like trying to trace
where the fault could have come from. On the long run, they came like
three times and since they couldn’t get where the fault was coming from,
they left. At about midnight to 12:30am, I heard the woman screaming
for help, so we came out.
“When I got there, I saw the last daughter of the pastor, standing
very close to the louvres, banging on them. There was no way I could
help, I saw one rubber out there with which I started scooping water to
put out the fire. Later on I saw the woman (pastor’s wife), struggling
with the door, like a middle wooden door, she was shouting for help
while she was trying to open it.
The three other children could not be seen struggling at all, it was
like they had been choked with the smoke in the house because where they
slept was where we found them.
“It took like one hour before one man called fire fighters because it
was midnight and we were all shouting and trying to see how to rescue
them. It took another one hour before the fire fighters came. By this
time, the woman had died, even the little girl. The little girl was
found dead close to the window because she was just there banging, but
there was no way we could help.
“The windows and the doors were all guarded with protectors, it was
difficult to go through, if not we would have broken through to rescue
them. It took about another fifteen minutes after I came out before we
couldn’t hear their voices again”, December narrated.
Mrs Margeret Ichibo, a church member, also said “I left the Church
after prayers with her (Kayoda) on Wednesday. That was in the day. I
rushed back few minutes to 1a.m., and fire fighters were just labouring
to break in, but it was too late.
“National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, personnel tried to
evacuate the bodies, but we advised that police be informed first.
“By the time police came, NEMA had switched off their phones. It took
the courage of youths in the neighbourhood and some of the fire service
to bring out the bodies between 5 and 6a.m.
“The bodies have been deposited at the Warri Central Hospital Mortuary.”