By Faith Igbudu
Many have been rendered homeless as Sunday, fire gutted down dozen of houses occupied by students around the Customary Court area in Makurdi, Benue State.
According to eyewitness who didn’t want his name in print, the fire outbreak started at about 3pm after fire on a refuse dump site spread to a thatched hut.
“A windstorm which began as it was about to rain, spread the fire quickly to surrounding houses.
“Efforts to put out the fire were unsuccessful before the arrival of the Benue State fire Service,” he narrated.
It was gathered that the fire service succeeded in putting out the fire which by then had already consumed over a dozen apartments occupied by students of the Benue State University (BSU).
In some apartments, the students and members of the community succeeded in evacuating some of their properties while some occupants were yet to return from Sunday church service and their entire properties were burnt.
While lamenting the disaster, a student (name withheld) whose room was burnt said she could only succeed in saving her credentials.
Properties burnt in the disaster could not be quantified as at the time of this report however, President, National Union of Benue State Students (NUBESS) Benue State University chapter, Comr. Desmond Nande, confirmed the incident.