The Management of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital has instructed students of its College of Nursing Sciences to go on two two-week vacation,  following a fire outbreak in the college.

One of the hostels in the College of Nursing Sciences was gutted by fire at about 9.00 a.m. on Thursday.

The chief medical director of LUTH, Wasiu Adeyemo, disclosed this in an interview on Friday in Lagos. He said that students had been directed to go home for two weeks, to resume on January 22.

Mr Adeyemo explained that the fire broke out after a student failed to turn off a gas cooker.

According to him, there is an arrangement for the students to receive online lectures while on vacation.

“We just woke up to be informed that one of the nursing hostels was on fire at about 9.00 a.m., and luckily for us, it happened when the students were in the classrooms.

“Although it was huge, with the help of the fire service personnel, we were able to put out the fire. Before they arrived, some people were using soap and water to put out the fire. During the process, few people sustained injuries and were taken to the ward for treatment and have since been discharged.

“The room where the fire started was completely destroyed, along with the two adjacent rooms. The incident was a result of the carelessness of one of the students who forgot to turn off the gas cylinder (sic) after cooking,” Mr Adeyemo said.

He reiterated that the hospital’s management would make policy resolutions to prevent future occurrences.

Mr Adeyemo stated that the hospital would decide whether students would be prohibited from using gas to cook in the future.

(NAN)