As the dry season sets in there have been many fire out breaks in most parts of the country with victims rendered jobless and homeless, particularly in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). PAUL OKAH reports.
Fire outbreaks are reported in states across the federation, almost on daily basis, including fire in markets, shops, homes, vehicles, among others, despite efforts by fire fighters, federal and state emergency management agencies and stakeholders.
Apart from some incidents that go unreported in the media, as a result of bush burning, faulty electrical connections, alleged negligence, carelessness of victims or arson, fire disasters inadvertently lead to loss of lives, sources of income, homes, among others.
Recent cases
On the evening of Sunday, December 13, a fire out break devastated a petrol station near Boromeo Roundabout in the commercial city of Onitsha, Anambra state.
An eye witness said that a petrol-laden tanker exploded and burst into flames, while waiting to have the fuel discharged.
The eye witness also noted that the heavy traffic on Awka Road delayed the fire fighters who arrived the scene late, and battled to contain the raging inferno.
Also, Spokesman of Anambra Police Command, DSP Toochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident to journalists, stating that police personnel attached to the Inland Town Divisional Headquarters, Onitsha, had cordoned off the scene to prevent hoodlums from taking advantage of the incident to loot.
Ikenga said preliminary investigation revealed that the truck caught fire inside the fuel station while waiting to have its content offloaded.
He added that the cause of the explosion, extent of damage and number of casualties have yet to be ascertained.
Similarly, on the evening of November 5, a massive explosion at the Kubwa Village Market, a suburb of Abuja, believed to have been caused by adulterated kerosene, claimed five lives and destroyed several shops with goods worth millions of naira, while scores of shoppers and traders were also injured.
An eye witness said: “I had just passed the scene when I learnt there was an explosion. I saw a huge fire from the kerosene tank.
“The tank used to be on the ground but the blast lifted it off the ground and landed it on the roof of the shoes and bags shop. I know the woman selling kerosene; I just hope she didn’t die in the explosion.
“After the explosion, as everyone was running away in fear, I saw a baby inside the gutter. The infant was later removed and taken away but I can’t confirm whether he was alive or dead because the situation was so rowdy with smoke everywhere.”
However, officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FIRS) at the scene confirmed that five people died, while many others were wounded, adding that the victims had been taken to the Kubwa General Hospital.
Statistics
A document obtained by Blueprint Weekend on December 14, indicated that from September to November, this year the FCT Fire Service received 102 fire calls, 14 rescue calls, saved properties worth N875,590,000 million, lost properties worth 347,700,000 million, saved 95 lives, while 17 lives were unfortunately lost.
Speaking with Blueprint Weekend, an official of the FCT Fire Service, who pleaded for his name not to be mentioned, said carelessness on the part of Nigerians is the major cause of fire outbreaks in different parts of the country, especially the FCT.
He said: “Carelessness is part of the reason for fire outbreaks. The FCT Fire Service is doing its very best to sensitise the general public on fire prevention, which is the best way of fighting fire, because prevention is better than cure. However, because of technological developments, new structures rise up every day with electrical appliances.
“Abuse and misuse of these appliances are often the cause of fire outbreaks as many forget to switch off their appliances when there is power failure from AEDC, thereby there is always a power surge when the light is restored.
“In the FCT today, more than 60 per cent of fire calls we attend to are caused by use of air conditions. However, we go out almost on daily basis to sensitise residents, which is significantly reducing fire incidents.
“Unfortunately, out of ignorance, many don’t believe in buying fire extinguishers, no matter the importance. They will tell you God forbid that there will be no fire outbreak, but turn around to lament fire outbreaks.
“AEDC takes and brings light on a daily basis and there could be power surge. There is also the case of bush burning spreading to homes. You can’t prevent all this through prayers or saying God forbid. These are what we preach against on a daily basis.
“Also, people have not stopped from sleeping in stalls in the markets. They put on stoves, irons and other things that cause fire day and night. You see erratic and illegal wiring that spark off fire when breached.
“Traders also keep petrol or fuel in their shops, thereby inviting fire. The aforementioned aggravates losses incurred in the event of fire outbreaks.”
Speaking further he added: “All the fire outbreaks are preventable. Lives lost to fire outbreaks would have been saved through preventive measures. “The carelessness of victims leads to loss of lives and property during fire outbreaks, though we always do our best whenever called upon. We always ensure that losses are minimal, if not totally avoided.
“During the rainy season, there is not much dry, combustible materials like in the dry season, so fire disasters often drop by at least 40 per cent.
“In a nutshell, like we always advise, let FCT residents provide fire defence equipment inside their structures. Whenever on the way, let motorists give right of way to fire trucks going for rescue.
“They should obey the preventive measures we tell them daily. Attend to your cooking, keep your gas cylinders away from fire or kitchen and children.
“Whenever there is a fire outbreak, the FCT Fire Service number is: 092906118. The toll free number is 112. Once you call the aforementioned numbers, we will get to you within five minutes as we have fire stations in the six area councils and other parts of the FCT.”
Enlighten residents FCTA urges FEMA
On December 13, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Mr. Olusade Adesola, urged FEMA, to take up the challenge of enlightening residents of the territory on the prevention of fire outbreaks and the need to protect themselves and their property, especially in this dry season.
He made the call while declaring open a 3-Day capacity building workshop on leadership development, succession planning and mentoring for top and middle cadre officials of FEMA in Abuja.
Adesola noted that, with the dry season on, many are confronted with the problem of fire outbreaks just as it was recently experienced in Kubwa, Nyanya and other areas of the nation’s capital city.
“As you are aware, for FEMA each season throws up peculiar disaster challenges. During the rainy reason, we contended with the problem of flooding.
“These challenges demand the need for FEMA to be forward-thinking and proactive in identifying and mapping out disaster-prone zones of the entire Territory for effective and timely response to emergencies.
“They have responsibility to protect us, enlighten us. But the managers of these risk issues must also be trained themselves. I urge staff of FEMA to take the workshop seriously and utilize the knowledge that will be acquired in the course of this training to enhance your productivity,” he said.”
Earlier, Director General, FEMA, Dr. Abbas Idriss, said the Agency has a lot of challenges, especially at this season when there is a lot of fire outbreak in markets, calling on managers of markets to stop people from sleeping in markets across the FCT, as they contribute to incessant fire outbreaks that led to the loss of lives and properties.
He said: “We have lots of challenges especially at this critical moment of incessant fire incidences especially during the dry season, but we are fully prepared to get more capacity building in order to promptly respond to emergency situations.
“At the end of this workshop, we should be able come up with a strategy that would map out all what is expected of us as an agency, to ensure that we really prevent fire outbreak from occurring, and if not, we should be able to mitigate it from escalating further.
“We are calling on all residents that they should follow the protocol and maintain safety consciousness to ensure that they put off all their appliances whenever they are not using them. So, we are carrying out that campaign, and in case of any emergency, people should not hesitate to call the 112 emergency toll-free line so that they can get prompt response, as it is working 24/7.”
