A fire outbreak has gutted the medical laboratory section of the Plateau State College of Health Technology, Zawan, in Jos South Local Government Area.
Provost of the college, Atangs Ishaku, confirmed the incident to newsmen in Jos on Tuesday.
“Yes, it’s true, but we don’t know the cause yet. We are still assessing the situation,” he said.
Ishaku explained that he was alerted to the fire around midnight and immediately contacted the fire service.
“I first called the Federal Fire Service, but they said their vehicle had issues. I then called another service, which responded, but by the time they arrived, the fire had already caused extensive damage,” he added.
Our correspondent reports that the incident has left students devastated, with many lamenting the loss of critical equipment and learning resources.
“This is a huge loss for us. We’ve lost valuable equipment and resources essential to our studies,” said Mathew Gyang, a distraught student.
Another student, Sarah John, expressed concern over the impact on their academic work. “It’s really sad. We don’t know how we’ll cope with the destruction of our lab facilities. The college must act quickly to address this,” she said.
The cause of the fire remains unknown, and authorities are yet to determine the full extent of the damage. The incident has sparked concerns over safety protocols and emergency response readiness at the institution.
Efforts to reach the spokesperson for the Federal Fire Service in Plateau State, Ikibe Nanya Dul, were unsuccessful as her phone was switched off at the time of filing this report.
By Golok Nanmwa, Jos
