Grandmother, 6 others escape fire from lantern explosion

Fire from a lantern has rendered a family of seven including a 65-year old grandmother, homeless in Nkwa Ibiono in Ibiono Ibom local government area, Akwa Ibom State.

The fire was said to have started from an explosion from a kerosene lantern at about 7.30pm on Saturday night after a power outage.

It was gathered that when the kerosene lantern exploded, it set the mattress in the room on fire and a seven-year-old Gideon Robert, who was in the room when the explosion Eno Roberts happened, tried to drag the big mattress outside.

But Gideon’s effort only aggravated the situation as the fire spread forcing him to abandon the mattress and went in search of his grandmother.

By the time Gideon’s grandmother, Mrs Eno Roberts, reached the scene the fire had already spread to other rooms.

Mrs Roberts was said to have got burnt on her chest when she rushed into the room to try to retrieve the church money kept in her custody.

Following an alarm raised by the grandmother neighbours rushed in to assist in putting out the fire but their effort was too late as it has spread to all the eight rooms in the house.

The grandson of the victim, Mr Robert Usen told Niger Delta Trust that none of the occupants of the house was able to retrieve any personal belonging from the house.

“When the incident happened some of these men were not around. So those of them who wore only shorts to go and play football lost everything except the clothes they had on their body to the fire,’’ he said.

Usen said that his grandmother and other occupants of the house were now taking shelter in a neighbour’s house.