Fire Guts Female Hostel Of Yobe Varsity

A female students’ hostel at the Yobe State University (YSU) New female campus was on Tuesday night gutted by fire, destroying properties of over 100 students in the hostel.

THE WHISTLER gathered that the fire broke out around 7 pm on Tuesday when most of the students had gone out for night reading and other activities within the school.

One of the affected students disclosed that they were attending evening classes when the incident happened.

“We heard shouts of fire! fire! but when we rushed to the scene, we found our properties already consumed by fire,” she said.

She lamented that before firefighters could put out the fire, it had already destroyed many of their belongings.

Confirming the incident, the Hostel officer Hajiya Falmata Musa, said that the fire incident started around 7 p.m., adding that the fire would have spread to other rooms but for the efforts of the firefighters.

“We thank God no life was lost. Only a part of the hostel was affected and we were able to evacuate some of the properties belonging to the students,” she said.

Speaking on the cause of the fire, Director Yobe State Fire Service Abdullah Ali Danchua, said it could have been caused by suspected electric gas cooker, following the restoration of electricity to the university.

“Some students who sustained injuries were taken to the Specialist Hospital and the hospital in Damaturu, the state Capital for treatment,” he said.

He explained that the fire, which lasted for about two hours, destroyed nine student rooms and some parts of the building.

Also, speaking, the Vice Chancellor of the school, Prof. Mala Daura, expressed gratitude to the public and private agencies that came to the rescue of the university during the  incident.