Four little girls — all sisters — died in a North Carolina, U.S. house fire early Saturday as two other girls managed to escape and call for help.

No adults were at home around 2:30 a.m. Saturday, August 30, when the fire broke out, k!lling the girls aged 2 to 7, Columbus County Fire Marshal Shannon Blackman told CBS 17.

Two other 12-year-old girls  — one a sister of the others — managed to escape the North Colony Road home, officials said.

They called 911, prompting a Columbus County Sheriff’s Office and a Chadbourn Rescue team to arrive in just seven minutes.

But, the home was already engulfed in flames and the first responders couldn’t save the girls trapped inside.

“Due to the severity of the fire, it was not possible to make a safe entry into the home,” Columbus County Sheriff Bill Rogers said in a news release.

Two Columbus County residents have now started a GoFundMe for the family.

“It is with heavy hearts that we share the devastating news of the tragic loss of Kendall, Kalani, Josie, and Sophia, who passed away in a house fire,” Ansley Hayes and B. Tyler Grainger wrote online.

The deaths have shaken the community and many people knew the family and mother, identified as Reagan Powers by the Columbus County News.

“These beautiful souls brought immense joy and love to their family and everyone who was blessed to know them,” the fundraiser said about the little girls who died.

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Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has offered financial relief and long-term assistance to the families of 76 security personnel who lost their lives combating insecurity in the state between 2024 and 2025.

Each bereaved family received N5m from a total package of N380m, alongside promises of scholarships for children and business support for widows.

While presenting symbolic cheques in Makurdi, Alia described the gesture as a mark of gratitude for the fallen heroes’ supreme sacrifice.

He recalled the emotional burden borne by grieving families, citing the story of a nursing mother whose infant would never know its father.

“Their memories will continue to be a blessing to us. We will not leave anyone behind. Your children will continue their education through scholarships, and your families will remain on the state’s protocol list,” he said.

The governor further assured the families that government support would go beyond money, pledging to create sustainable opportunities for widows of the deceased and to periodically visit affected households.

Alia also commended the Inspector General of Police, the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff, and the Civil Defence Command for their dedication to restoring peace, while praising President Bola Tinubu for his support.

The governor stressed that security operatives should not be seen as enemies but as protectors who often give up their comfort for citizens’ safety.

Earlier, the Director General of Homeland Security, Col. Jacob Gbawuan (rted), disclosed that the 76 operatives cut across the police, military, Civil Defence, and the state-owned Community Volunteer Guards.

He described them as heroes who must not be forgotten.

The State Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari, hailed the governor’s intervention as “spectacular” and “unprecedented,” adding that it would bring succour to grieving families and inspire morale among serving officers.

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Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has condemned the three-year imprisonment of a 28-year-old auto mechanic, Akeem Jimoh, convicted for stealing yam worth N35,000 in Osun State.

Akeem was convicted and sentenced on Wednesday by an Osogbo Chief Magistrate Court after pleading guilty to the one-count charge of theft pressed against him.

Asked why he committed the act, Jimoh told the court that he stole the 17 tubers of yam due to hunger, and pleaded for leniency.

The presiding Magistrate, Muibah Olatunji, sentenced Jimoh to three years in prison with hard labour and without any option of fine.

Commenting on the jail term, Falana, in a statement made, said the sentencing policy in the country needed to be reviewed to make it more humane.

He queried why scarce public funds should be wasted on the upkeep of convicts jailed for petty offences like that of Jimoh.

He said, “It is high time that the sentencing policy of the country was made humane. Why should the government be made to waste scarce public funds on the feeding, accommodation, and medical care for the convict who was jailed for stealing tubers of yam worth N35,000?

“The attention of judges and magistrates ought to be drawn to the fact that judicial officers in capitalist countries have stated that it is no longer a crime for the poor to steal food to feed themselves and their family members.

“Meanwhile, we have briefed a lawyer to file an appeal against the conviction and the  three-year jail term of Akeem Jimoh.”

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