Students at Bayelsa Medical University’s Yenagoa campus are counting their losses and demanding better safety protocols after a fire tore through one of the female hostel rooms.
It happened on a Wednesday night, wiping out lots of personal stuff and raising questions about the facility’s upkeep.
No one got hurt, but many lost important things like laptops, textbooks, clothing, and more.
According to Sahara Reporter, the blaze started because of an electrical spark and, though no one was injured, it left residents pretty rattled. Frequent electrical issues in the building have caused some annoyance lately.
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Those there when it happened remember feeling scared as smoke billowed and flames shot from the burning room. Many initially thought nothing of it since they’ve grown accustomed to seeing small sparks. But this time, it wasn’t so small.
Responders tried to tackle the blaze, but they lacked proper gear. A fire extinguisher proved useless, and the water from hoses ran out fast. Locked gates made evacuation tough too. All these issues left students upset and calling for changes to prevent similar disasters.
The room involved got pretty messed up before the fire was finally handled. According to students, others had to step in since help took forever to arrive. This likely stopped the flames from hitting other parts of the hostel.
After the ordeal, students asked the uni leaders to fix ongoing electrical issues and boost safety measures. Repeated fires have really worried everyone about their well-being and belongings.
This event isn’t isolated; earlier fires at the uni had similar electrical causes. The repetition seems to make some folks hesitant to react to alarm sounds, which could be super dangerous if not sorted out soon.
Now, as people look into why this happened, those affected need aid. At the same time, they want powers-that-be to upgrade setups, keep fire gear working, and reconsider how emergencies are managed to stop this from ever happening again.
