Midnight Fire Guts Two Apartments at MBT Hostel, Students Lose Valuables

A midnight fire has destroyed two apartments at MBT Hostel, a private student hostel in Yemkem community along the Iworoko axis of Ado-Ekiti, leaving several students homeless and counting losses estimated to run into hundreds of thousands of naira.

The fire, which residents said was first noticed at about 1:00 a.m. on Friday, razed Apartments 22 and 23, destroying electronic devices, clothing, food items and other personal belongings. 

No life was lost, and no injuries have been reported as of the time of filing the report.

The hostel caretaker, Femi Ilesanmi, also told Campus Reporter that no lives were lost in the incident.

He said: “There was no casualty. The Vice-Chancellor and members of his entourage visited the hostel earlier today and assured the affected students that they would receive support.”

When Campus Reporter visited the hostel shortly after 8:00 a.m., traces of the fire were still evident as parts of the affected building remained warm, with sections still smouldering. The incident was confined to the rear block of the hostel complex, while other buildings within the premises were unaffected.

Officials of the university were also seen at the hostel during Campus Reporter’s visit, assessing the situation and interacting with affected students

How it happened

Residents said the fire began in Apartment 22, whose occupants were away, before spreading to the adjoining apartment.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, according to students, neighbours and the hostel caretaker, Mr Ilesanmi.

However, some students who spoke to Campus Reporter said they suspected that the fire may have started after electricity supply was restored.

One resident, Osinaike Oluwademilade, a 200-level Mass Communication student, said firefighters arrived at the scene after nearly two hours of residents and neighbours battling the fire.

“Firefighters arrived at about 2:40 a.m. and battled the blaze for nearly two hours before bringing it under control at approximately 4:30 a.m while the hostel caretaker arrived shortly afterwards” he told Campus Reporter.

Students count losses

One of the affected students, Abdul Malik, a 100-level Business Administration student, said he lost two mobile phones, a laptop and other personal belongings in the fire incident.

“We noticed the fire while there was electricity. It started from Apartment 22, but the people staying there were not around. We still don’t know what caused it,” he told Campus Reporter.

Another resident, Victor, a 300-level Science Laboratory Technology student, described the loss as devastating.

“Everything happened so fast. I lost my Samsung phone, my laptop and other personal belongings. We tried to save what we could, but the fire spread quickly,” he said.