Candle Fire Kills 3 Siblings

Tragedy struck on Saturday on Fakoya Street, in the Egbeda Akowonjo area of Lagos State after a candle fire killed three children of the same parents.

The victims ─ Uffoma (9 years); Emeka (7 years) and Udoma (3 years) ─ were said to be asleep when the candle lit by their father burnt out.


It was said to have burnt some of the furniture before spreading to the ceiling of their self-contained apartment.

They were reportedly burnt to death.

PUNCH Metro gathered that their mother had recently given birth to a baby at a hospital in the area.

Their father was alleged to have lit the candle and left the house to pay a visit to their mother when the incident happened around 10pm.

A source said, “The fire was noticed around 10pm after their father had gone out to check their mother who had just given birth. Before he left the house, he lit a candle and shut the door.

“The children ─ two girls and one boy ─ slept off and did not know when the room was engulfed in flames.”

It was learnt that residents were not aware that the children were in the house until it became too late.

PUNCH Metro gathered that about one hour after battling in vain to put out the inferno, officials of the Lagos State Fire Service were alerted.

The Director of the state fire service, Rasak Fadipe, confirmed the incident.

He said a resident called the control room and the service responded.

He added that the damage had been done before the men got to the place.

He said, “We got the call at 10.48pm. We quickly sent the Agege Fire Station to the place with 10,000 litres of water. The fire started from the children’s apartment and consumed the three apartments in the building. The kids were asleep when the fire started and they were burnt to death.”

The corpses were said to have been evacuated by the police.

Fadipe warned residents of the state against the use of candles in their homes.

Culled From PUNCH