Two children have died in a fire that razed a part of the Internally Displaced Persons Camp in Jere local government of Borno state. The camp which is one of the unofficial ones is located few kilometres from the state capital, Maiduguri.

According to eye witnesses, the flame spread quickly because the tents were erected with dried stalk which is a highly combustible material. At least 400 families reportedly lost their homes to the disaster before men of the State Fire Service arrived the scene to prevent further spread.

Sources at the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), said some of the IDPs are from Marte and Mafa areas of the state, while others are migrants from smaller villages and the state capital.

Survivors of the misfortune have blamed the incident on one of their fellow IDPs who was said to have been roasting groundnuts when the fierce wind blew embers from the fire she lit to the thatched shelters.

Unfortunately, the children could not be rescued from the flames in good time.

Source – Vanguard