Warri church fire consumes pastor’s wife, 4 children

Pastor John Kayode, resident Pastor of Christ Apostolic Church, CAC, Otumara Brach, Warri, Delta State, yesterday lost his wife and four children as they were burnt to death by a midnight fire that gutted parts of the church at Emiko Close, Angle Part.

It was gathered that John Kayode was away attending a CAC Pastors’ Conference in Osun State, when the fire consumed his wife, Kayoda and children: two boys and two girl aged between eight and 18. Bright December, who was among neighbours to notice the fire, revealed: “At 11p.m., Wednesday night, electricity supply started fluctuating dangerously. Some vigilantes came out to see what the problem was thrice, though nothing was noticed. ‘They cried for help’ “Midnight was when I looked out and saw a girl banging on the glass windows of one of the rooms on fire. Later, the mother started shouting for help. But the burglary proofs everywhere made it hard for us to gain entry into the house. “A lady then alerted other neighbours, but it was too late. The Pastor’s wife and the daughter with her at the outer room screamed for 15 minutes and that was it. By the time it was possible to gain entry, the boys and a girl were already burnt in one room, while the second girl and mother died in the other room.” Mrs Margeret Ichibo, a church member, said: “I left the Church after prayers with her (Kayoda) on Wednesday. That was in the day. I rushed back few minutes to 1a.m., and fire fighters were just labouring to break in, but it was too late. “National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, personnel tried to evacuate the bodies, but we advised that police be informed first. “By the time police came, NEMA had switched off their phones. It took the courage of youths in the neighbourhood and some of the fire service to bring out the bodies between 5 and 6a.m. “The bodies have been deposited at the Warri Central Hospital Mortuary.” The Church Secretary, Mr. Sunday Ogoigbe, said: “We can always rebuild the church. The real pain is in losing out Pastor’s wife and his entire children. “Indicators as to the cause of this tragedy point to electrical fault. But then the only people who could have explained the true cause are dead.”