Fire Disaster. Family Trapped And Consumed.

Pandemonium struck at the Makarahuta area of Azare, headquarters of Katagum Local Government Area of Bauchi State after an early morning fire razed down a family of five on Saturday.

The victims, an Islamic teacher, Malam Jamilu Musa Zaria and his entire family were said to have been trapped in their apartment by the fire that started at about 2 am and despite distress calls, no one was able to promptly come to their rescue, The Punch reports.

According to Zaria’s next door neighbour, one Abubakar Lawal, his wife heard the distress call from Yusra for help and immediately, stormed out of his apartment to see what was the problem in his neighbour’s flat only to behold fire that had completely consumed Jamilu’s flat.

The victims included the 29-year-old Islamic teacher, his wife Yusra, 24, his daughter, Hauwa 5, his son Sulieman 3, and last child, Halima, who was two months and six days old.

Lawal, who is a Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, official, said, “Before we knew it, the fire had spread to my own flat forcing me, my wife, children to rush out into the compound. I tried to force the door into Jamilu’s flat opened but the heat coming from the inferno was too much.

“I escaped with my own family only to discover that the key to the gate was in my flat. We couldn’t come out of the compound, so my wife and I continued to shout for help.”

“My wife went towards Yusra’s windows and called out to see if the helpless mother could at least hand the two-month old baby, Halima, over to her through the window. But the burglary proof and the raging fire made that impossible,” Lawal added.

“Though my family escaped unhurt, we lost all our belongings to the inferno. “I lost everything. I only came out with the shorts and vest on me. My wife came out with the only wrapper on her. Same with my children,” he said.