A fire outbreak in the early hours of Tuesday destroyed the medical laboratory unit of the Plateau State College of Health Technology located in Zawan community, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The incident, which occurred around midnight, left the laboratory section of the institution severely damaged, with several equipment and facilities reportedly reduced to ashes.
Confirming the incident, the Provost of the college, Atangs Ishaku, said the exact cause of the fire had yet to be determined.
“Yes, the incident happened, but we cannot say for now what triggered the fire. We are still evaluating the situation and the extent of the damage,” Ishaku said.
According to him, he received information about the fire shortly after midnight and immediately contacted emergency responders.
“I was informed about the fire around 12 am. I first reached out to the Federal Fire Service, but they said their vehicle had a mechanical issue. I then contacted another team that eventually came to the school, but by the time they arrived, the fire had already spread widely,” he explained.
Efforts to reach the spokesperson for the Federal Fire Service in Plateau State, Ikibe Nanya Dul, were unsuccessful as her phone line was switched off at the time of filing this report.
Students of the institution expressed concern over the destruction caused by the incident, describing it as a major setback to their academic activities.
One of the students, Mathew Gyang, said the loss of laboratory equipment would significantly affect practical learning.
“This is a huge loss for us as students. Many of the materials we depend on for our practicals have been destroyed,” he said.
Another student, Sarah John, also lamented the development, urging the school authorities to take immediate steps to address the situation.
“It is really painful to see our laboratory facilities destroyed. We hope the management will act quickly so that our studies will not be disrupted,” she said.
As of the time of filing this report, the cause of the fire remained unknown, while school authorities were still assessing the full extent of the damage.
