A DEVASTATING fire ripped through the Kalari settlement in Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State on Saturday, killing three people and displacing more than 3,000 residents.
The inferno, which started around 1:00 PM, swept across three villages and destroyed over 1,500 thatched homes.
The Nigerian military, alongside the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), swiftly responded to the emergency.
Zagazola Makama a counterterrorism expert in the Lake Chad, reported that Soldiers from the 222 Battalion provided first aid on the scene and evacuated the injured to the Maiduguri Specialist Hospital using Army ambulances.
“Local authorities, including the Chairman of Konduga LGA, a member of the Borno State House of Assembly, and the Commissioner for Environment, coordinated immediate relief efforts to support the displaced families”, Makama said.
The fire is the latest in a string of disasters to hit Konduga.
According to the report, in September 2024, the area was severely affected by flash floods following the collapse of the Alau Dam, which also inundated parts of Maiduguri and Jere LGAs and displaced nearly 240,000 people.
“With many residents still struggling to rebuild their lives after the flooding, the fire has deepened the region’s humanitarian crisis”, Makama added.
It was learnt that a State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) official said the Borno State Government is urgently appealing for humanitarian support to assist victims of both the fire and the earlier floods.
