By Deborah Nnamdi
A man, his wife, and their three children were burnt to death in the early hours of Monday after a fire consumed their home in the Kofar Sauri community of Katsina metropolis.
The tragic incident also destroyed most household items in the building, many of which were burnt beyond recognition.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the fire began shortly after electricity was restored to the area. He claimed there was an unusual power surge at the time, which he suspected may have triggered the inferno.
He alleged that the local power company often restores electricity late at night, sometimes delivering excessively high voltage to the community.
Another resident, however, attributed the incident to the intensifying harmattan season, noting that Katsina had recently recorded several fire outbreaks linked to dry, windy weather conditions.
A third resident appealed to security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation to rule out possible sabotage.
The bodies of the victims were evacuated to a hospital and were buried later on Monday according to Islamic rites.
As of press time, the police and both federal and state fire service authorities had yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
