An early morning fire has gutted the Guardian Angel Nursery and Primary School, Abatete, Anambra State, razing the residential quarters of the Rev. Sisters of St. Raphael, the proprietors of the school, to the ground.

On getting the information about the incident, Governor Peter Obi raced down to the school this morning to commiserate with them.

Conducting the governor round the premises even while the fire was yet to completely die down, the Headmistress of the School, Rev. Sr. MariaDorathy Nwangwu, said the inferno started when a lit candle caught some fabric and spread fire throughout the upper rooms which housed the staff of the school some of who are expatriate Reverend Sisters.

Sister Nwangwu lamented that they lost everything, including their documents, clothes and household materials and thanked Governor Obi for promptly coming to see them when he learnt of the incident.

Commenting on the incident, a lecturer at the Department of Philosophy, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Rev. Fr. Celestine Mbaegbu, said that hands of God were really working in the state through the use of Gov. Peter Obi as an instrument. He noted that government partnership with the Church is working with total and effective coordination.

The cleric particularly commended the governor’s humane approach to governance, asking how many governors would have spared time to visit a burnt nursery and primary school.

In his own remarks, Gov. Obi, who is a devout Catholic, expressed thanks to God that no life was lost in the incident. He said he was saddened by the incident in view of the fact that the facilities involved were those used for the upbringing of the children of the state. The governor however assured that he would assist the Sisters in rebuilding the place.

•Photo: Governor Obi promptly raced down on learning of the incident.