It happened about 2.00a.m.
We had all slept. We would all probably have been roasted alive if a certain boy had not woken up, at the nick of time,
to urinate. He raised an alarm and we all woke up. The hostel which housed about three hundred people
was filled with smoke. There was pandemonium. Some people shrieked
in bewilderment. Numerous others yelled, punched, shoved and fell over one another in fright in an attempt to escape through the windows. The
fire was caused by candle light. The candle was on a desk by one of the windows. Apparently, a student had used
It to study but failed to put it out before going to sleep. As the candle burnt itself out, it ignited the papers on the desk. Then, the flame lept to the window blind. We could have controlled the fire if we had swung into action immediately. As we scurried out, the fire spread quickly; it roared angrily and soon engulfed the building. Some members of staff, about a dozen of them, who lived in the compound raced to the scene. As if fate had a hand in it, the taps were dry that night. The two fire extinguishers in the principal’s office were hurriedly brought but it was no use. One hissed and the other farted. A fire-fighting vehicle came whining forty five minutes later even though the Principal had telephoned them immediately. At that time, the burning hostel became an inferno; it generated great heat and large noisy flames. Everyone stood at a safe distance. Only someone who chose to go to hell could have stood near it. The fire fighters new that nothing could be salvaged from the fire but just for the record, they swung into belated action. The damage was great. The building was razed to the ground. We lost all our money and belongings. Apart from the pyjamas we were in, we lost everything. Three vehicles which were parked in front of our hostel, including our brand new school bus, were burnt beyond repair. The fire spread to the school farm immediately behind our hostel and destroy it. It was a nightmarish experience. Whenever I remember it, I wish it never happened.
Flere anmeldelser om Fire Incidence in my Hostel