A massive fire outbreak on Saturday razed four out of five blocks of three-bedroom flats at No. 13 Nelson Mandela Street in Asokoro, Abuja, a high-profile district of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The affected property is believed to belong to former Zamfara State Governor and current serving senator, Sani Yerima.
According to preliminary observations, the fire reportedly started from solar panels mounted on the roof of one of the buildings before rapidly spreading to the adjoining flats, causing extensive damage.
The Head of Public Affairs of the Federal Emergency Management Department (FEMD), Nkechi Isa, confirmed the incident in a statement.
Quoting the Head of FEMD’s Search and Rescue Team, Monday Addie, Isa stated that the incident was reported at about 1pm and that no lives were lost.
“According to the Head of FEMD Search and Rescue Team, Mr Monday Addie, the incident was reported at about 1pm. No life was lost to the incident. However, the four affected flats were totally burned,” the statement read.
She added that the inferno destroyed household items including furniture, clothing, foodstuffs and other personal effects belonging to occupants of the flats.
Emergency responders from multiple agencies were deployed to the scene to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading further.
“Personnel of FEMD, the Federal Fire Service, FCT Fire Service, the National Emergency Management Agency and the FCT Police Command attended to the incident,” Isa said.
As of the time of the report, the exact cause of the fire is yet to be officially determined, pending a full investigation.