Authorities of Yaba College of Technology in Lagos have suspended all academic activities till further notice following an early morning inferno on Wednesday destroyed 20 rooms in a female hostel.

The fire, which broke out at a wing of the top floor of the Bakassi female hostel in the school, started at about 5.20 a.m. when the school generator was switched on after a power outage.

NAN gathered that three students sustained injuries as a result of commotion that ensued when the inferno started.

The injured students were rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Yaba and the General Hospital, Randle Avenue, Surulere.

The Rector of the college, Dr Margaret Ladipo, has called on the college community to remain calm, promising that the management would find ways of soothing the pains caused by the accident.

She said in a statement issued by Mr Charles Oni, Head of Public Relations Unit: “Sequel to the unfortunate fire incident at the Bakassi hostel early this morning, the management has suspended all academic activities till further notice.

“By this notice, all examinations and lectures, especially scheduled for today, have been put on hold while the college attends to the exigency.

“The management regrets the misguided and outright falsehood on the social media and calls to certain radio stations that there was no water on campus to put out the fire.”

Dr Ismail Badmus, the Head of Department of the Fire Service in the school, told NAN that no life was lost, but that some students were injured and taken to government hospitals for treatment.

He said: “The incident happened at Bakassi Female hostel which is a two-wing two-storey building. It was the top floor of one of the two wings of the hostel.

“There was no life lost, but there were some injuries.

“We lost a lot of students’ items like laptops, phones, books and mattresses. You know it is residential hostel; many combustibles are there, which readily catch fire.”

Ismail said that the fire was combated with the combined efforts of the college’s fire service department, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Lagos State Fire Service and the State Response Unit.

•Adapted from a NAN report. Photo of the burning female Yabatech hostel courtesy of Channels.

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