A fire of unknown causes hit the Nigerian cathedral of Maria Assumpta in Owerri last Sunday night, March 20
Newsroom (March 21, 2022, 9:45 PM, Gaudium Press) The sacristy of the Catholic Cathedral of Maria Assumpta in Owerri, Nigeria was the victim of a fire last Sunday night, March 20.
In an official statement, the apostolic administrator of the diocese, Archbishop Anthony John Valentine Obinna gave more details about the incident.
“At approximately 10:40 p.m. yesterday, Sunday, March 20, 2022, with the gates and doors of the Cathedral already closed, a fire started from an uncertain source near the sacristy of the Cathedral,” Archbishop Obinna recounted.
The first people to notice the fire were the street merchants and passers-by, who soon tried to control the fire. Around 11:20 pm, the firemen intervened and were able to control the situation.
Archbishop Obinna, who recently became Archbishop Emeritus of the diocese, thanked everyone for their efforts in helping to control the fire.
The other parts of the cathedral were not affected by the fire and Archbishop Obinna thanked 45 for preserving the cathedral from further damage. At this time the extent of the damage caused by the fire is not known.
The Cathedral of Maria Assumpta has a capacity of 3,000 people and construction began in 1954. The church has a central dome more than 36 meters high and 30 meters in diameter. The consecration of the cathedral took place in 1980. The floor is made of marble and the structure is made of reinforced concrete.
Compiled by Zephania Gangl
