A middle-aged man was yesterday burnt to death in his sleep in his girlfriend’s apartment in Oginigba community, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Daily Sun gathered that many occupants of the building, which was a makeshift apartment, lost their property in the fire.

It was further gathered that the deceased, whose identity could not be ascertained at the time of filing the report, visited his lover at the weekend.

A resident of the burnt building, who craved anonymity, alleged that when the fire started, they alerted the dead victim, stressing that he never made effort to come out or help to put out the fire.

Eyewitness said when the victim’s girlfriend noticed that her lover boy did not survive the fire incident, she fled the scene and had not returned.

The source disclosed that the fire incident occurred in wee hours of yesterday, adding that the occupants could not retrieve their property from the building.

One of the occupants, Mrs. Grace Inyang, disclosed that the fire was caused by a boiling ring plugged to a wall socket. She added that the owner forgot the heater, locked his door and went out.

Inyang said: “It was when people started seeing smoke from our neighbour’s room that they broke the door. The fire had already circulated.

“Boys in the area tried to put out the fire, but it was heavy. When they called fire service, they said the place was too far that they could come.” (The Sun)