…Wife recounts ordeal
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
A mysterious fire has gutted a section of a duplex belonging to a former Chairman of Umunneochi Local Government Area, Chief Ifeanyi Madu, in Umuahia.
The incident, which occurred in the early hours of April 10, 2026, affected a first-floor bedroom in the building located at Umuobia Housing Estate, Olokoro axis of the state capital, destroying valuables in the room.
Although the exact cause of the fire remains unknown, circumstances surrounding the outbreak have raised concerns, with the property owner calling for a thorough investigation.
Chief Madu, who is currently abroad, said the first alert about the fire came through an unusual phone call from a relative in Enugu State to his younger brother in Umuahia.
According to him, repeated attempts by his brother to reach occupants of the house at the time were unsuccessful, making immediate intervention difficult due to the late hour.
By the time his brother arrived at the residence at daybreak, the fire had already caused extensive damage.
“Everything in that room was completely destroyed. Nothing valuable was salvaged,” he said.
He expressed doubts over a possible electrical cause, noting that the building had been disconnected from public power supply for months.
He also pointed out that the affected room had been unoccupied for several days before the incident.
“The room is far from the kitchen and there was no obvious source of ignition. The occupant had been away for about five days. It raises serious questions,” he said.
Chief Madu further recalled a previous threat against his house in December 2020, when an unidentified individual allegedly vowed to set the property ablaze.
Describing the incident as disturbing, he called for an urgent investigation to determine the cause and ensure the safety of his family and property.
Meanwhile, his wife, who was in the house with their children when the fire broke out, gave a harrowing account of the incident.
She said the alarm was first raised by their maid at about 2:30 a.m.
“My maid started shouting that she was choking from smoke. They ran to my room, banging and yelling, ‘Mummy, fire!’ I quickly grabbed my 10-year-old daughter and we rushed downstairs,” she recounted.
According to her, the source of the smoke was traced to her son’s room.
“When we forced the door open, thick smoke filled the room and flames were coming from his bed. My son was not at home; he had travelled two days earlier,” she said.
She explained that initial attempts by her children to extinguish the fire using water and detergent were unsuccessful, forcing her to alert neighbours.
Residents in the area responded promptly, using buckets of water to put out the fire through the windows before firefighters arrived.
Mrs Madu, however, maintained that the fire had already been extinguished before officials of the State Fire Service got to the scene.
On the possible cause, she said there was no electricity supply at the time of the incident.
“There had been no public power for about two weeks, and our solar battery went off around 8 p.m., so the house was in complete darkness,” she added.
She also disclosed that no formal complaint had yet been lodged with the police.
Confirming the incident, the Chief Fire Officer of Abia State, Mr Nnana Arua, said his team responded promptly to a distress call and helped prevent the fire from spreading to nearby buildings.
He added that investigations were ongoing to determine the actual cause of the fire.
“We were able to contain the fire from spreading to the neighbourhood. Investigations are ongoing to ascertain the cause,” he said.
As of the time of filing this report, no official statement had been issued by relevant authorities regarding the incident.
