A mid night fire has gutted parts of Maria Assumpta Catholic Cathedral, Owerri, Imo State.

The Sacristy (dressing and convenience room for the priests) was started by an Irish, Bishop Joseph Brendan Whelan.

Sources said the fire started on Sunday at about 11:00 p.m.

The Guardian gathered that commercial motorists and motor park workers, who were the first to see the flames, quickly opened the gates and doors to the cathedral and made efforts to quench the fire before the arrival of the Fire Service and policemen.
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The Apostolic Administrator /outgoing Archbishop of the Owerri Archdiocese, Dr. Anthony John Valentine Obinna, could not be reached for communication at press time.

But spokesperson for Imo State Police command, Michael Abattam, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) and the Director of Communications of Owerri Catholic Archdiocese, Fr. Ray Nzereogu, who confirmed the incident yesterday, told The Guardian, that the situation was quickly controlled to avoid escalating to other areas.

On the cause of the inferno,  Nzereogu said the Archdiocese is suspecting electric fault or arson.

According to him, the suspicion was more of electrical fault as there was no person seen around the area at the time of the incident.

Fr. Nzereogu, disclosed that forensic experts had arrived at the scene in the morning and cordoned the scene.

He said: “It is going to be very difficult to investigate, because there was no Close Circle Television (CCTV).

“Forensic experts have come. I don’t know where they came from. They just came.

“Definitely, if such a thing happened, there must be a report. You can’t just close it. There is an investigation and there should be a report on what happened.”

He blamed the social media reporters for publishing online that the entire Cathedral was razed down, instead of stating that it was only the dressing room and clothing materials that were burnt.
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