A 60-year-old man identified as Oyemara Etebet lost his life following a midnight fire at his residence located at House Number 14, Bensoo Street, Benin City, Edo State.
Property worth millions of naira was also destroyed in the inferno which occurred on Monday, September 15, 2025.
The victim, a church usher, was indoors with his wife and other occupants when the fire broke out, reportedly giving them little time to evacuate.
Oyemara, who was also the head of the electrical unit at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in the Okhoro area, was said to have been trapped while attempting to salvage property from the raging fire.
His wife sustained severe burns and is currently receiving treatment at the emergency department of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin.
The tragic incident has thrown both the Holy Spirit Catholic Church and the wider Okhoro community into mourning.
It was gathered that officials of the Edo State Fire Service helped to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby properties.
The cause of the fire remained unknown.
The spokesperson of the State Police Command, CSP Moses Joel Yamu, confirmed the incident.
“It is confirmed. One 60-year-old, Etebet Oyemara, lost his life in the fire. Investigation is ongoing to unravel the cause of the incident,” he added.
