A candle fire which razed a house in Abia State, reportedly claimed the lives of three kids identified as Chidera (7) Destiny, (5) and Precious (3). The candle fire which affected the room the kids were locked in, started just after their mother stepped out to charge her phone in her uncle’s house in Ohia, Abia State, where she dozed off.

Lamenting over the death of his kids who he said he allowed to spend time with their mom and his estranged wife Ugochi, the father of the kids Fidelis Ezenwa Amalaha, told newsmen that after he got a call that his kids died in a fire outbreak, investigations revealed that Ugochi had locked the three up in the room they slept, while a candle was burning. The candle was on the edge of a chair, and later fell on top of a bag which caught fire.

 “My wife took the children on December 17, 2017, around 4.00pm, and by 4.00am on December 19, my father received a call from the president general of Ohia Development Union, telling him my three children had died in a fire outbreak.

“On receiving the news, me and some family members rushed to Chief Onyemata, my in-laws’ house, where I saw the corpses of the children in the room with thick black smoke all over the wall.

“The candle was on the edge of a chair and later fell on top of a Ghana Must Go Bag, which caught fire. Smoke engulfed the room, leading to the suffocation of the children. My eldest son attempted to come out of the room, but the door had been locked. My children died mostly of suffocation. It was only the eldest that suffered a litle burn in the cause of struggling to leave the room. The walls were all filled with smoke.”

Nigerian Tribune reported that Mr. Fidelis who never stopped blaming himself, added that a similar incident had occurred in the past, where Ugochi left a candle on top of the television and went to sleep with the children.

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