A devastating fire outbreak on Saturday, razed the girls’ hostel at the Ondo State-owned Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo (RUGIPO), the Nation learnt.

The incident which occurred in the early hours of the day, broke out while some female students were engaged in sanitation exercises on campus.

The inferno also affected parts of the hall warden’s office and the secretary’s section.

Scores of female students were said to have been displaced by the inferno while two of the students, who were trying to evacuate the properties from the fire, sustained degrees of injury.

Although the exact cause of the fire is yet to be officially confirmed, students on the campus said it was triggered by a power surge.

One of the students, Omowumi Akinlade, described the incident as tragic.

She said virtually all the students’ personal belongings were lost to the incident.

“No life was lost but many properties, including hostel equipment and our study materials, worth millions of naira, were destroyed.

“The fire started from one of the shops close to Block F of the female hostel. We heard that the shop owner left some electrical appliances plugged in. When power was restored, it sparked and caused the fire.

“I was outside washing my clothes when I heard people shouting ‘fire!’ By the time we rushed down, the flames had already spread beyond control. Nobody could risk going inside,” Akinlade recounted.

It took the combined efforts of the polytechnic’s Department of Works and Maintenance staff with firefighters, to put out the flames.

As of the time of filing this report, the school authorities were yet to issue an official statement.

Efforts to reach the institution’s spokesman were unsuccessful. (The Nation)

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