95 students escape death as fire razes public school in Delta

- A mystery fire has razed a public secondary school in Sapele, one of the major towns in the oil rich Delta state

- 95 students were said to be in the hostel when the fire began but miraculously escaped as the fire began consuming sections of the hostel

- The state governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, has assured of his government's willingness to renovate the school and bring it to shape

Not less than 95 students have reportedly escaped death by the whiskers as mystery fire razed down a public school in Sapele, one of the major cities in the oil rich Delta state.

The school, Chude Girls Model Secondary School, was consumed by fire which cause is yet to be ascertained as at the time of filing this report.

As at the time the fire incident happened, 95 students were said to be in the hostel but luckily escaped when the fire began.

It was learnt that philanthropists had visited the school to assist the students just as two classrooms have been converted to hostels for the students pending when the state government would renovate the school and bring it to shape again.

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Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state, who visited the school on Sunday, February 5, 2017, sympathized with the students, calling for the urgent upgrade of facilities in public secondary schools in the state education sector.

The governor, who inspected the school along with the state commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Chiedu Ebie, said public institutions should have facilities that will make learning environment to be in tune with modern trend, noting that with what he saw at the model school, there was the need for emergency situation to be declared in the education sector.

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Governor Okowa while thanking God that no life was lost in the inferno that razed the hostel of the institution, assured staff and students of the school that his administration would take steps to ameliorate the effect of the fire on them.

The governor said: "I sympathize with the young ones who lost their belongings in the fire, we will try to replace what you have lost," he said, adding: "This fire incident may be a blessing in disguise as I have inspected facilities here, I can assure you that this school will not be like this by next year."

He added: "We will carry out construction work in the school systematically, so as not to affect academic work."

The Principal of the school, Mrs. A. O. Omniabors thanked Governor Okowa for his timely intervention, stating that philanthropists have come to the aid of the students since Friday night when the fire incident happened.