Fire Outbreak Hits St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Wukari

Residents of Wukari in Taraba State have expressed deep concern following a fire outbreak at St. Mary's Catholic Church Wukari.

The incident occurred late at night and reportedly affected parts of the cathedral, alarming members of the Catholic community and residents in the area. The exact extent of the damage and whether there were any casualties had not been officially confirmed at the time of reporting. The cause of the fire also remains unknown.

The development comes several months after the headquarters of the Wukari Local Government Council was damaged by a separate fire incident, raising fresh concerns among locals.

The situation is particularly painful for the Catholic Diocese of Wukari, which has recently faced a series of difficult events that reportedly led to the destruction of lives, parish churches, a rectory, and other important structures within the diocese.

Amid the confusion during the latest outbreak, a resident priest of the cathedral, Fr. James Oliver, was reported to have acted quickly to safeguard the Blessed Sacrament. Witnesses said he successfully removed it from the church before the fire spread further across the premises.

The incident has left many members of the Catholic faithful shocked and saddened. Several residents have turned to prayer, hoping that no lives were lost and asking for divine protection over the community.

Emergency officials and local authorities are expected to assess the damage and begin investigations to determine the cause of the fire.

Meanwhile, some residents have raised concerns about the lack of functional firefighting equipment in the area. According to them, the absence of operational fire service trucks in the local government area has made it harder to quickly contain fire outbreaks.

They also noted that Agbu Kefas, the current governor of Taraba State, is from Wukari, urging authorities to strengthen fire response systems across local government areas in the state.