An early morning fire at a beer parlour in Nnewi, Anambra State, on Friday killed three female workers who were sleeping in the building.
The incident happened at Ezekwuabo Otolo Nnewi, close to St. Thomas Anglican Church (Akwudo).
The fire started at the place, called Padded Joint, around 3:00 a.m.
The source of the fire was yet to be ascertained at the time of this report.
A resident of the area, who asked not to be named, said that the owner of the motel is a woman fondly called ‘Obodo Umu Anumanu.’
The source said the owner closed the beer parlour where the three girls slept before leaving for her house the night before the fire outbreak.
The source said it is a normal occurrence for the owner to close the building and go home with the keys even if some of her staff slept over.
“The three girls could not escape because the rooms were locked and there was no way for them to exit as at that time,” the source said.
The corpses of the deceased have been deposited at the Nnewi Diocesan Hospital (Akwudo) by the police.
The police commissioner in the state, John Abang, confirmed the incident.
“It’s a drinking joint and the waiters who do sleep over in the joint lost their lives. Very unfortunate”, he said.
Mr Abang said the owner of the joint has been arrested and has made useful statement to the police.
This is the third fire incident in 48 hours in Anambra State.
At least three persons died on Wednesday in a fire incident in Onitsha when a petrol tanker fell at Iweka road and caught fire which spread to nearby buildings and shops at Ochanja Market.
Among the dead were a mother and her daughter while the third victim was a trader at the popular Ochanja Market.
The second fire, which occurred on the Enugu-Onitsha highway on Friday morning, also involved a petrol tanker. But luckily, no lives were lost. Premium Times
