Fire guts ex-Delta council boss’ house

Tragedy yesterday befell the former Chairman of Oshimili South Local Council of Delta State, Mr. Chinedu Okafor, as his personal properties worth millions of Naira were destroyed in an afternoon inferno, which gutted his house.

The house, a storey building situated at Ichida Street, Akwuebulu layout, Asaba, was completely razed down to ashes.Family members, especially his wife watched helplessly in horror as their properties went up in flame, which started around 2:00p.m. while men of the fire service showed up late.

Okafor said blamed sudden power surge in one of the rooms as the likely cause of the inferno. The fire fighters, which later came to rescue the situation, arrived around 4:00p.m., before then everything was gone.

In deep distress, Okafor said he lost everything including his vital documents. According to him: “I was not around when the incident started, I met it midway, and I could not believe it, but it has happened.

“The only thing that was left with me is my Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC), because I always carry it in my pocket. In all I thank God that no life was lost.”

The ex-chairman, who is also a member of the Delta State Waterways/Land Security committee, however, appealed to the state government to urgently come to his aid as he doesn’t know where to start from.

An eyewitness who simply gave his name as Mr. Jude, said he and some sympathizers rushed in to quench the raging fire but couldn’t help out as the current was too high due to the harmattan.