Fire razes female hostel at Plateau State Polytechnic

The female hostel of the Plateau State Polytechnic, Jos campus, was yesterday gutted by fire, destroying properties and certificates of students.

Our correspondents, who visited the campus, gathered that the fire began about 9:30am as a result of gas explosion from room 18, where a female student was trying to cook noodles.

It was also learnt that as soon as the gas exploded, the girl tried to quench it but couldn’t as the resulting fire caught the mattress in her room and eventually, razed down the whole building. Nobody was injured in the inferno, except the students’ properties that were destroyed.

An ND 2 student of Marketing Department, Comfort Silas, told our correspondents that her certificates and other properties got burnt in the fire.

“Many girls went for lectures and there were few people around at that time. Before many of the students could come back, the fire has already consumed their properties. Some people were able to rescue some things however, but majority of the students lost all their properties. I lost my certificates and other properties to the fire,” she said.

Another victim, an HND 1 student of Public Administration, Linda Edward, said she was coming back from weekend when she was called that the hostel was on fire, and upon arrival met the fire raging and the students wailing and running helterskelter.

She said she lived in Kano and doesn’t have anyone in Jos, and therefore called on the school authority and the government to try and do something fast for them because they don’t know where to stay right now.

In her reaction, the Matron, Mrs Rita Gidado, said she thanked God that no life was lost, adding that she has calmed the students down and told them to live everything to Gold who is able to replenish whatever they have lost.

She said members of the state House of Assembly and government house have already visited, including many other people and they all promised to assist in one way or the other.

Meanwhile, the Rector of the Polytechnic, Mr Dauda Gyemang, described the incident as shocking and a great loss to the institution.