Woman loses one year old baby to candlelight fire in Calabar

Candlelight fire in a thatched house in Calabar, Cross River State, has killed a year old baby when the flame went into the thatch.

The incident was said to have happened at the Eta Agbor area of Calabar Municipality on October 9.

When the News Agency of Nigeria visited the area, it was observed that the thatched house was completely burnt down.

Ms Glory Etim-Akpan, the mother of the child, told NAN that her child was sick and so she went out to a pharmacy in the area to get drugs and pampers for her, explaining that she left the child, a baby girl, Kate Dickson, at home sleeping, while the candlelight was burning.

“My baby was having cough and catarrh, so I decided to go out to buy drugs and pampers for her. Before I went out of the house, I lighted a candle on top of a metal plate in our room.

“I didn’t even get to the pharmacy when I was called that our house was on fire. And It was not up to 30 minutes that I left the house.

“Neighbours around heard my baby crying, but they couldn’t intervene. When I came back, we broke the door and I found out that my baby was already burnt to death.

“Also, I lost all my properties including my certificates. The fire burnt down my apartment completely,” she lamented.

According to Etim-Akpan, her life has been shattered because she has nowhere to stay, no food to eat, and no clothes to wear.