BEVERLY HILLS, March 27, (THEWILL) – Five persons have been confirmed dead in a fire which razed over 200 huts at the IDP camp in Rann, Kala-Balge Local Government of Borno State on Monday night.
The fire incident is coming more than a year after the Nigerian Airforce Jet accidentally hit the IDP camp that killed over 100 people.
Monday’s fire incident is said to have killed at least four women and a child.
The caretaker Chairman of Kalabalge local government area, Bishara Musa Lawan, who confirmed the incident told The Nation that his parents and family members were also affected by the incident as all of them still reside in the camp after their house was destroyed by the insurgents.
“The cause of the fire may be spiritual as the outbreak has become a yearly occurrence right from 1999 whenever dry season sets in,” he stated.
“I have met with Governor Kashim Shettima, and he has made some arrangements for the welfare of the victims.
“Even though the camp has been overcrowded, there has been arrangement to separate the camp to decongest it before the fire outbreak.
“Right now I am going there with blankets, mats and food items and other commodities as temporarily measure to ameliorate the immediate problems of the IDPs.”
Source however disclosed that the death toll may rise because several IDPs sustained severe degree of burns. Information available also indicates that livestock were also affected in the fire incident.
