A fire engulfed an apartment in the Oluwatuyi area of Akure, Ondo State, on Wednesday, resulting in the loss of two young siblings, Jelad Oluwaranakinse, aged five, and his brother, Jenson, aged three. The children were allegedly locked inside their home by their mother, Mrs. Deborah Oluwaranakinse, who had briefly stepped out to purchase food.
Eyewitnesses recounted the scene, describing how the fire suddenly broke out, reducing the apartment to ashes and claiming the lives of the two boys.
“When the fire started, the neighbors around made efforts to put it out and rescue the kids, but their efforts were unsuccessful,” an eyewitness said.
“People called the state fire service, but by the time they arrived, things had gone out of hand. The kids had died,” the eyewitness added.
Another witness described the fire as erupting suddenly, with no clear cause.
Despite the efforts of neighbors to extinguish the flames and save the children, they were unable to.
The charred remains of the children were later evacuated and deposited at the morgue of the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital in Akure. Confirming the tragic incident on Thursday, Ondo State Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Funmilayo Odunlami, revealed that investigations were underway to determine the cause of the fire.
“The two male children left in the room were choked and burnt. One is Jelad Oluwaranakinse, aged five, and the second is Jenson Oluwaranakinse, aged three,” Mrs. Odunlami stated. “Their mother, one Mrs. Deborah Oluwaranakinse, locked the two children inside their room and went out to search for food. An investigation has commenced.”
