The University of Benin yesterday morning was thrown into pandemonium following an early morning inferno which gutted part of the female hostel inside the campus.
When LEADERSHIP visited the scene of the incident students were being evacuated to another hostel.
The fire which was traced to an electrical fault was said to have occurred at about 1am at the early hours of Wednesday morning.
It was gathered that each of the three floors of the three-storey hostel building was occupied by 200, 300 and 400 Level students respectively.
The immediate cause of the fire incident could not be ascertained at press time, but it was however gathered that the fire started from the last floor of the building before spreading to other floors.
Though no life was lost in the inferno, It was however gathered that several students sustained various degree of burns and injuries.
It was gathered that the students sustained the injuries when they were jumping from the floor to avoid being caught up in the inferno.
The injured ones were said to have been taken to the school health centre before being transferred to undisclosed hospital for more medical attention.
The institution’s image maker, Harris Osarenren in a telephone interview confirmed the fire incident.
Osarenren said the fire started from a room inside the hostel, noting that the cause of the incident could be attributed to electrical fault.
He added that properties of some of the affected rooms were destroyed, just as he said that those that sustained burns were few.
He confirmed that the injured was taken to hospitals for treatment.
