An Islamic cleric in Rajiyar Zaki area of Kano metropolis, was on Wednesday killed with his wife and their eleven year-old son in a midnight fire that razed the house they were sleepingf in.
The victims, Malam Habibu Abdulhamid Sokoto 55, his wife Malama Aisha Muhammad 35 and their eleven year old Halifa, were asleep when the incident occurred.
The inferno, believed to have been caused by a water heater around 12am, engulfed their three bedroom apartment, trapping the family in one of the rooms, before killing them.
It was gathered that the family were withdrawn into their bathroom to escape from the fire, during which they suffocated from thick smoke and eventually died.
Witnesses and fire officials confirmed the victims did not suffer any visible burns, but had swollen bodies.
The deceased’s house help, Rabi Abdullahi, who witnessed the incident, said that she was woken from sleep by thick smoke after the building had gone up flames. She explained that it was after her efforts to open the victims’ bedroom door failed, that she rushed outside for help.
Operations Officer of the Kano State Fire Service, Kasim Musa, confirmed the incident.