Fire disasters

The Nation

•Recent experiences in Anambra show that govts have done little to reduce the incidence

FIRE incidents are accidents waiting to happen and this informed the innovations in both preventive measures and techniques invented to minimise casualties. The idea of making laws to compel individuals and corporate bodies to comply with fire prevention and fighting tools are all aimed at minimising incidents and saving lives.

The country has experienced various fire incidents. Thousands of lives have been lost, billions of naira worth of properties may have been lost too, but in a country without statistics, the losses could be more.

Last week, the pictures of charred bodies of a mother and her child, victims of one of the fire incidents in Anambra State made the headlines. There were other deaths and properties worth billions destroyed when an articulated truck laden with fuel fell and spilt its content that burst into flames. Onitsha, one of the most vibrant commercial centres in Africa has been in mourning. A few days later, another fire incident killed three ladies in a building in Nnewi, the second largest city in the state.

As a matter of fact, Anambra State seems to take the cake with the number of fire outbreaks it has recorded. According to the head of fire fighters in the state, Mr. Martin Agbili, the state recorded three fire incidents and 10 deaths between January 1 and February 15, 2019. Just before the 2019 elections, the place housing the card readers went up in flames. Earlier, three people had died in Ihiala and seven in Amawbia when another fuel-laden articulated vehicle fell, spilling contents. The state recorded 110 fire incidents in 2018 alone.

According to records, from January to December 2018 alone, the fire service received 35 distress calls with almost a billion naira properties lost. It is very disheartening that unlike other countries, successive governments in Nigeria seem unwilling to plan for better preventive and fire-fighting processes. Anambra State is a typical example.

The fact that fire-fighters had to be called in from neighbouring Delta State during the October 16 fire incident in Ochanja market is  an eloquent testimony to how the government of Anambra State has failed to prepare for tomorrow as regards such incidents. Even when the fire trucks arrived, access to the scenes was virtually impossible, leading to bigger losses in human and material terms.

The governor of the state recently launched some high tech security equipment. We agree that security is equally important, but we would have thought that Governor Willie Obiano and his team would have sat down to prioritise the needs, given the devastating effects of  fire incidents in the state.

The lack of adherence to building plans in the state did not start with this government but we believe that as a continuum, each government has the capacity to take very serious decisions on behalf of the people. The idea that each fire incident causes havoc ought to motivate the government to take better steps and ensure stricter implementation plans for town planning laws in ways that accessibility in cases of emergencies is facilitated.

The state government must go back to the master plan of the state and make sure there is strict compliance. The continual loss of lives and property without adequate measures for a better future is an ill wind that blows no one any good. The Onitsha fire must be a  warning signal to the country to have a better safety plan by adopting best practices around the world in building plans and the installation of fire alarms, as well as provision of equipment for fire fighters. We cannot continue to behave like we are in the medieval times in a 21st first century world.