A fire outbreak destroyed a Female Hostel Annex at the Gombe State University late Thursday evening.
Eye witnesses said the fire incident which started around 9:30pm on Thursday, forced the students to flee for safety, leaving their belongings behind.
Daily Trust reports that male and female students worked hard to extinguish the fire, before the arrival of the Fire Service personnel.
Although, there was no report of death or serious injuries, substantial parts of the hostel was destroyed, with many students losing their belongings.
Officials of the institution said they had launched an investigation to ascertain the cause and extent of the fire incident.
In a statement, the Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr Hadu Ligari, said the situation had been brought under control.
‘This is to inform the University Community, parents, guardians, and the general public that there was a fire incident at the Female Hostel Annex yesterday, October 2, 2025, at about 9:00pm.’
‘We are grateful to confirm that no life was lost, and the situation has since been brought under control.
‘The University Management is currently assessing the cause and extent of the incident. A comprehensive statement will be issued in due course,’ he said.
Our correspondent reports that sources at the university said the fire outbreak was suspected to be triggered by cooking gas used by the students in the hostels.
According to the sources, the university management has recently lifted the ban on using gas cylinders for cooking in the hostels.