By Patrick Andrew
The Abuja Electricity Distribution (AEDC) Plc has denied claims that the fi re outbreak in Mpape area of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) over the weekend which led to the death of fi ve children were caused by electrical fault.
AEDC said that the report of a preliminary investigation carried out by a fact-fi nding team it sent to Mpape on Monday, April 3, 2017, revealed that the accident was caused by an explosion from a fuel container taken into the room where the inferno occurred.
Furthermore, records from the AEDC control room in the area revealed that the area had no electricity supply at the time of the inferno, due to load shedding.
A statement signed by Ahmed Shekarau, Head of Public Relations & Media said, however that the company expressed its deepest sympathy with the family of the deceased, the AEDC management deemed it necessary to set the records straight to correct the erroneous impression being created in a section of the media.
According to report by its fact-fi nding team, the AEDC said “the mother of the fi ve deceased had sent one of her children to buy petrol for use in the generator set because, at that time, the area had no AEDC supply due to load shedding.
Upon return, the child took the fuel into the room in which the fi ve deceased children were sleeping. “Because of the saturation of petrol fumes in that room, when the woman lit up a match stick in order to light up a mosquito coil in a bid to wade off mosquitoes, the fl ame ignited an explosion which engulfed the room.
According to one of the neighbours of the family (name withheld), “at about 9pm that day, there was an outage in the whole area and the mother of the deceased sent one of her children to go and buy petrol. “Unfortunately, the boy took the fuel into their room. Shortly after, the mother lit up a match in order to light up a mosquito coil to ward off mosquitoes from their room”.