Two young children are currently receiving oxygen support at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) following an incident involving heated smoke from sparking electrical cables that rendered them unconscious in the Ogbogoro/Choba community of Obio/Apkor Local Government Area in River State.
According to an eyewitness, Mr. Chiboroma, who is also a neighbor of the affected family, the two children, a three-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl, were heard crying for help between 8 pm and 10 pm after their mother had locked them indoors.
“As the girl began crying from inside the house, my neighboring tenant informed me that their mother might not be at home. However, shortly afterward, the boy also started crying. At that point, I assumed it was just ordinary crying due to their parents’ absence,” Chiboroma recounted.
The situation took a drastic turn when the children’s father returned from work. Upon opening the door to their room, he discovered that it was filled with smoke, and the two children were lying unconscious on the floor.
Describing the harrowing experience, the father, Mr. Chima Simeon, said, “I returned home around 9 o’clock and called my wife when I reached Alakahia. She informed me that she was not at home and instructed me to retrieve the keys from where she had left them. I retrieved the keys and entered the house, only to find it filled with smoke. The children were lying unconscious on the floor. With the assistance of those nearby, we rushed them to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH).”
Although the exact cause of the smoke remains unclear, Mr. Simeon suspects that something within the house had caught fire during his absence. The incident resulted in damage to his refrigerator and home theater equipment.
Now facing substantial hospital bills, Mr. Simeon, a thirty-year-old plumber, is appealing for assistance to cover the medical expenses incurred during this distressing incident.
