Tragedy in church as fire kills three members

The church on fire

It was a pathetic sight to behold in the house of God as three people, two men and one woman were burnt to death early Monday morning, as fire razed a church, Mercyland Prayers Ministry, Okoro area, Oke-Itunu, Ibadan, Oyo State.
SHOWBIZPLUS learnt that worshippers were all sleeping in the church, apparently observing a spiritual programme when the inferno that claimed lives began.

Sources also informed that four others, including a pregnant woman, escaped death by the whiskers from the inferno which started around 1:45 a.m.
It was gathered the fire mysteriously came from the front side of the church and lit a power generating set which was filled with petrol. The splash from the power generating set was reported to have spread to other parts of the church, apparently, resulting in the fire catching up with some of the worshippers unawares.
In the process, most plastic objects inside the church, apart from the power generating set became lubricant to the inferno which lasted over three hours.
One of the lucky survivors, Biola Akinolu, who shared his experience with newsmen, confirmed that most of the worshippers were sleeping right inside the church at the time of the incident.
Akinolu revealed that flame, with heavy smoke, enveloped the church auditorium, resulting in worshippers struggling to escape.
He stressed that it took divine intervention for him to rescue the pregnant woman out of the thick smoke before heading for a nearby safe exit.
Akinolu, who said he had been living in the church premises for over one year, disclosed that seven of them slept in the church, adding that the victims could not escape because they had legs impairment.
Despite the timely arrival of men of the Oyo State Fire Brigade Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Nigeria Police, the fire was put out at about 4.05 a.m.
Scores of symphatisers who thronged the scene of the incident could not hold back tears, which flowed, as charred bodies were sighted in front of the church.
Tribune