Power line fire kills 11 in Zaria, many injured, buildings burnt

Eleven people were electrocuted in Zaria, Kaduna State, on Wednesday as a result of power line snap which also left many injured and several buildings destroyed.

The Kaduna Electric Company said the incident was a result of a high tension line snap on the low tension line, which resulted in a voltage supply outside limits.

The Zaria office of the Kaduna State Fire Service said the 11 people who died were from communities around the Gwargwaje area of Zaria Local Government Area, adding that a house was burnt and some business premises were destroyed in the fire incident which occurred around 1am on Wednesday.

Leader of the community, Alhaji Bature Aliyu, told journalists that the fire affected all the houses in the three communities, the Police Barracks, the New Layout Unguwar Major Aliyu and the New Kauran Juli layout.

He said, ”Electricity was restored late in the night with full force, which caught fire that spread to the communities. All the transformers, high tension and service lines were on fire. Anywhere you touched was shocking until when the power was cut off from the source.”

Head of Corporate Communication of Kaduna Electric, Abdulazeez Abdullahi, in a statement, expressed sadness over the incident.

He said a preliminary investigation showed that the incident was a result of high-tension line snap on the low-tension line, which resulted in a voltage supply outside limits.

“The source feeder was immediately opened on emergency to avoid further damage.

“Kaduna Electric expresses the deepest sympathy to the families who encountered losses as a result of the incident.”