From Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
No fewer than 620 shelters have been destroyed by fire at an Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.
The fire broke out at a section of the Custom House IDP camp located at the city’s outskirts, at about 8:30 am Wednesday, an official said.
Witnesses say the fire started from a shelter and quickly spread to adjoining accommodation in the area. They said the fire was put off minutes later by some IDPs with a combined team of firemen and emergency workers but with a child caught up in the inferno
Camp manager Usman Mohammed confirmed the incident, saying the second outbreak came nearly four hours later as people scampered for safety. He said investigations into the cause of the fire, the extent of the damage and statistics of affected households have commenced.
Officials of the National and State Emergency Management Agencies could not be reached for comment as at press time.
