Tragedy struck on Wednesday at Oluwatuyi area of Akure, the Ondo State capital as two children that were siblings burnt to death inside the house fire.
Roving Reporters gathered that the incident, which occurred around 1:30 p.m., lasted for about two hours, completely razing the room where the children were trapped.
The children, Jenson (3) and Jelad (5), were burnt beyond recognition as neighbours were unable to gain access to the room to rescue them.
The cause of the fire had not been ascertained at the time of filing this report.
It was gathered that the children were locked inside the house by their mother, who had gone to the market and left them unattended for about three hours.
An eyewitness revealed that the fire was first noticed by a neighbour, who didn’t know that the children were inside the house.
The neighbours recounted how they heard the children crying for help from the room. However, their efforts to extinguish the fire and rescue the children were unsuccessful due to the intensity of the flames.
They alleged their mother might have put on a gas stove before leaving the house.
One of them said “We tried as much as we could, but we couldn’t get inside.
“We then called the Fire Service to come to the rescue, but all efforts proved abortive.”
The incident has left neighbours and sympathisers in shock, with many describing the tragedy as devastating.
It was reported that the father of the children collapsed having seen the burnt remains of his children. He was however rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Their remains have been evacuated to the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital (UNIMED) morgue in Akure.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya said “The two male children left in the room were chocked and burnt.
“One is Jelad Oluwaranakinse Age Five, the Second Is Jenson Oluwaranakinnise Age Three Yrs.
“Their Mother, one Mrs Deborah Oluwaranakinnise locked the Two Children Inside their Room and Went out to search for Food.“
