Mother, Four Children Die in Rivers Fire Tragedy

A mother and her four children have died in a fire that engulfed their home in Okochiri Community, Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State, in the early hours of Friday, September 18, 2026.

The victims were reportedly trapped in the building as the fire spread through the house. Sources in the community said the inferno was eventually extinguished through the efforts of youths who mobilised to the scene.

The fire was reportedly caused by petrol, which caught fire after coming into contact with a spark. The circumstances surrounding how the petrol ignited, however, remain subject to investigation.

Confirming the incident to newsmen, the Commander of the Civilian Joint Task Force in Okrika, Mr Igwe Godswill, said details of the incident were still sketchy.

He said when members of the task force arrived at the scene, they discovered that four children and their mother had been burnt to death.

“We just heard the news this morning about the fire. There are no proper details as to what happened, but when we got there this morning, we saw that about four children and their mother, a total of five persons, were burnt and had died,” he said.

Godswill added that the police had already arrived at the scene and commenced the process of gathering information about the incident.

“But the police had already arrived and taken proper details of what happened. It is so disheartening that this is happening again in our community.

“When we got there this morning, the fire had been put out and the police had already come to the scene. I believe proper investigation will be carried out,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the Rivers State Police Command confirmed the incident, stating that a woman and three of her children died in the fire, while other persons sustained injuries.

The Command’s spokesperson, ASP Blessing Agabe, also disclosed that property worth thousands of naira was destroyed in the inferno.

Agabe said investigation was ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and determine the cause of the fire outbreak.