Three Gombe State University students were injured after a gas explosion destroyed a female hostel annexe on Thursday night.
The bungalow-shaped annexe on campus was engulfed in flames, which were assumed to be caused by a cooking gas explosion.
In an interview with our correspondent on Friday, the Public Relations Officer of the Federal Fire Service, Gombe Command, Assistant Superintendent of Fire Bashir Muazu, confirmed the occurrence as “unfortunate.”
“It was caused by LPG, cooking gas. Based on preliminary investigation, it was caused by unattended cooking by a student,” Muazu said.
He stated that three pupils were brought to the hospital, but no fatalities were reported.
“Some went in for anxiety, and others for inhaling the smoke from the inferno,” Muazu remarked.
Our correspondent learned that the university had just recently repealed a ban on the usage of gas cylinders in hostels.
Due to safety concerns, students were banned from using kerosene stoves for many years.
Some students who talked with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity voiced dissatisfaction with how the situation was handled, blaming inadequate fire service facilities on campus.
“The fire could have been put out quickly if the school’s fire service was functioning well,” one of the students lamented.
Attempts to obtain comments from Gombe State University’s Public Relations Officer, Hadu Naphtali, were fruitless because he did not answer calls or texts as of the time of reporting this article.
The State Controller of the Federal Fire Service, DCF S. M. Sulaiman, has advised the university management to immediately reinstate the prohibition on LPG cylinders in hostels to avoid repeat calamities.
“This decision is aimed at preventing future accidents and ensuring the safety of students. The Command is committed to working closely with the University Management to enhance fire safety measures and prevent such incidents in the future,” the advisory stated.
Sulaiman asked students, faculty, and the public to prioritize fire safety and report any hazardous conditions to the appropriate authorities.
