Three children were on Thursday roasted to death by a mystery fire in a shop along High Tension School Road, Ugwuagba, Obosi, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

The children, Chimierie Nwafor (M), 5 years; Onyedika Nwafor (M) 4 years; and Esther Nwafor (F), aged 3 years old, were all inside the shop – a container which also served as an apartment – when the fire started and burnt them beyond recognition.

According to a police statement, the owner of the two containers, Blessing Nwafor, who is also the mother of the children, was not around when the incident took place.

It was learnt that efforts by neighbours to rescue the children, who were screaming in pain, failed as the door to the container was locked by their mother.

A police statement reads in part: “At about 2:15 p.m. on Jan 10, 2019, two short containers used as shop and apartment along High Tension School Road, Ugwuagba-Obosi in Idemili North LGA of Anambra State was gutted by fire.

“Consequently, the owner of affected containers one Blessing Nwafor ‘f’ who was not around at the time of incident reportedly left three of her Children inside the Container when the fire started and burnt them beyond recognition.

“Police Patrol team attached to Awada Division led by the DPO, CSP Tony Adeyi, rushed to the scene, cordon off the area and removed the charred remains of the victims to Bex Hospital mortuary for autopsy after they were certified dead by a medical doctor.”

While saying that the cause of the fire outbreak is yet to be ascertained, the statement said that the case is under investigation to find out circumstances surrounding the incident.

Efforts to reach the mother of the children could not yield result as her contact said she was too indisposed to speak to journalists.