Director General of the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, Dr. Mohammed Barkindo Saidu has attributed the likely cause of the fire outbreak at Muna IDPs camp in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital to the congestion of the camp and the grasses used in making the tents.
He stated this when he visited the scene of the incident to ascertain the level of casualties.
CREDIBLE NEWS had earlier reported that the fire which engulfed Muna IDP camp killed two children while some others sustained injuries even as the camp occupiers were rendered homeless.
Latest reports indicate that it death toll has increased to three.
Saidu, while addressing the press, blamed the congestion of the camp to the attitude of some IDPs who have been resettled but found their way to the camp to benefit from free food and non-food items distributed in the camp.
He said the agency has embarked on immediate assessment of the level of the destruction, as well as providing the IDPs with portable water for drinking and washing.
READ ALSO: Fire outbreak claims lives of two children in Borno IDP camp
The SEMA boss added that bread, grains and other food items have also been provided to the IDPs to tackle their immediate needs.
One of the IDPs, who is a father to one of the deceased children, Mele Abatcha said the fire incident which did not last an hour before destroying the whole camp started around 11am in the morning.
Abatcha appealed to the government to come to their aid having lost all including shelter to the fire incident.
“We lost three children to the fire incident. This is my eight years in this camp. We have recorded an incident of fire before in the camp, but the incident is the worst we have seen.
“We need shelter, water and other basic and immediate solutions to cushion the effect of the disaster,” he said.
One of the injured victims taken to the state specialist hospital for treatment, Goyi Bana attributed the cause of the fire outbreak to the dry season wind in the camp which might have blown fire from the cooking spot to the grass shelter where they live.
Meanwhile, the three children who died during the fire incident were buried in the camp after a brief funeral prayer.
Credible News.ng
