The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Fire outbreak

  • Lagos residents seek end to fire outbreak

    Residents of Magodo in Lagos have vowed to reduce to the barest minimum cases of fire outbreak that have rocked the community in the last few months.

    To this end, a fire safety seminar has been organised by Magodo Phase 2 Muslim Association to acquaint the residents with tips and practices to prevent fire outbreaks or any domestic disaster.

    Chairman of the Muslim Association, Alhaji Abdulraheem Musah said the association was concerned about the incessant fire outbreaks and decided to put up the seminar to prevent and equip residents on the prevention and management of fire or other domestic accidents.

    The seminar focused on Strategic Fire Safety and Emergency Response Management; Home Accident and Response Management and Prevention of Property Destruction by Fire.

    In attendance were religious bodies within and outside the estate as well as other government estates like Marwa Garden, Magodo Brooks, among others.

    Lagos State Fire Service Acting Director Mr. Rasaki Musibau and Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) General Manager Mr. Adesina Tiamiyu urged the residents to cultivate safety habits in their respective houses.

    The fire service chief, who was represented by Adesina Semiu Akanji, urged the residents to see fire safety as their responsibility, saying they should have the right fire installations.

    He said another means of preventing destruction by fire is not to block the emergency exit in case of fire, advising them to put in place automatic fire detection alarm system.

    The fire official also took the residents through practical fire-fighting demonstration using different fire-fighting equipment.

    On his part, the LASEMA GM represented by the Director of Operations, Mr. Femi Giwa, enjoined the Magodo residents to form Community Response Unit (CRU) to enable them respond to any unforeseen emergency.

    He, however, said the response time of LASEMA for emergency has reduced from between 10 and 20 minutes to five to 10 minutes because of the decentralisation of the LASEMA Response Units (LRU).

    But the LASEMA boss said the agency would support any community with the right manpower development to set up a community response unit to minimise the destruction occasioned by fire disaster.

  • Flight operations resume at Imo Airport after fire outbreak

    Flight operations have fully resumed at the Sam Mbakwe Cargo Airport Owerri, Imo state after a fire outbreak that razed part of the arrival terminal.

    When The Nation visited the Airport yesterday, passengers were seen queuing to get their boarding pass, even though the number of passengers was minimal compared to what it used to be before the fire incident.

    The Nation findings, disclosed that the Executive lounge of the airport was completely razed and has been cordoned off.

    The Airport Manager, Mrs. Rejoice Ndudinachi, said that the cause of the inferno is yet to be ascertained as investigation is still ongoing.

    According to her, flight operations have fully resumed, adding that the fire incident didn’t affect any critical infrastructure or equipment.

    She said, “we are following Airport contingency plans to make sure that flight operations resume at the airport and it has resumed. We are sorry for what happened, there was no casualty, the fire department was able to contain the inferno”.

    Meanwhile speaking during separate visits to the Airport, Imo State governor Rochas Okorocha and the governor-elect, Rt. Hon Emeka Ihedioha commended the Airport management for the proactive measure taken to avert what they say could have been a major disaster.

  • Ex-UI lecturer dies in fire outbreak

    •Varsity dismisses insinuations of suicide, commiserates with bereaved family

    A former lecturer at the University of Ibadan, Mr. Aminu Zubair, yesterday died in mysterious circumstances on the campus with some people alleging suicide.

    But the authorities of the institution dismissed such insinuations.

    Early reports of his death yesterday suggested that he might have set the building he was living in on the campus on fire following a bout of depression.

    But the university’s Director of Communication, Mr Olatunji Oladejo said Zubair was merely trapped in the inferno.

    “It wasn’t a suicide attempt as he was caught up in the inferno at Philipson Road, where he resided, and couldn’t escape,” Oladejo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    He said that only the timely intervention of the school’s fire service saved the whole building from being razed.

    Oladejo added: “he was a staff in the Department of Mathematics and had resigned before the ugly incident happened. If not for our Fire Service men, who got there at the right time the whole building would have been engulfed in fire completely.

    “It was only that particular room that was badly affected, he could not get out and he died out of suffocation from the fumes of the fire.

    “He worked in the Department of Mathematics before his exit; he was a lecturer but had resigned and was no more in the service of the University of Ibadan.

    “However, he was given a place on compassionate grounds pending the time he would move out.

    “There are documents that he had resigned; he was no longer in the service of the university before the ugly incident, which is quite unfortunate.

    “The management commiserates with the family on the unfortunate death of Mr Zubair,” Oladejo stated.

    In a telephone interview with NAN, the Police Public Relations Officer, Oyo State command, SP Olugbenga Fadeyi, said the police was not aware of the incident.

    Unconfirmed report said that Zubair had been on a PhD programme for 22 years and that some of the students he supervised had since graduated, thus fuelling suspicion that it could have led to his committing suicide.

     

  • Fire outbreak in Kachikwu’s house not sabotage, says ministry

    Fire outbreak in Kachikwu’s house not sabotage, says ministry

    THE fire outbreak in the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, Abuja home was not an act of sabotage, it was learnt yesterday.

    Deputy Director, Press, Ministry of Petroleum Resources Mr. Idang Alibi, who confirmed that there was a fire accident in the house, described the accident as a normal domestic accident that could happen in any house.

    Asked on phone to confirm whether there was a fire accident in the house as reported in online media, the Deputy Director responded in the affirmative.

    He said “yes.”

    There were reports in the social media that the minister’s home caught fire on Sunday.

    But pressed to give details of the circumstances that resulted in the fire, the director said: “it was a normal fire outbreak that happens in a house. If you are suspecting that it is an act of sabotage, it is not. It is a normal usual fire outbreak that happens in any home.”

    He, however, noted that the fire only had a negligible effect on the house.

    Alibi said: “The damage was not much.”

     

     

  • Victims of Bayelsa fire outbreak beg for help

    Victims of Bayelsa fire outbreak beg for help

    Patrick Nmerigwe and his wife are in a deep trouble. Their world collapsed recently. The husband and wife have not stopped crying. Fire outbreak brought thick gloom and darkness into their lives. The fire has turned them into beggars.

    Their business, which hitherto, thrived at the popular Swali Market in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, has been turned into sand and ashes. The midnight fire left nothing for them to start life again. A once prosperous family is now a shadow of itself.

    The downcast Nmerigwe, who could not control his emotions, broke down in tears as he relieved the ugly event of Weenesday last week. Speaking to the Niger Delta Report (NDR), he pointed at the debris of his goods, shook his head and shuddered in silence. He was a known dealer on frozen foods such as chicken and fish.

    “In my shop, I had 12 freezers, four air conditioners, one 5000watts stabilizer, seven 2000watts stabilizers, generators and many other things. The chicken and fish worth about N2.5million. Each freezer now cost N280,000. Everything I lost here amounts to about N7million”, he muttered tearfully.

    In fact, Nmerigwe is lost. The fire also consumed all the goods in his wife’s shop. His wife was also in his line of business. He said the fire started at other shops and spread to their stalls.

    On the fateful day, at about 1am, he said a driver in the business of delivering goods to him woke him up from sleep through his telephone call. The caller informed him about the incident and he along with his wife raced down to the scene.

    “But before we got here, everything was gone. It happened very fast. I don’t know the cause of the fire. All I know is that it came from other shops to my own”, he said.

    Some persons affected by the fire had started rebuilding their shops. But Nmerigwe could only watch with his hand in his chins. “I don’t even know where to start from”, he cried.

    “I have nothing left to start again. I am a father of three children. My first child is nine years old. We came to Bayelsa in 2007. It’s my wife’s shop. We have been struggling before God made us bigger. I don’t have anyone to call for help.

    “I am begging everyone who feels touched by this to please help me just for the sake of God. It’s not easy at all and we have practically nothing to start all over because we just spent almost everything to buy the frozen foods before this happened. Please help me with anything you can just for us to start over again”, he said.

    With a swollen face, his wife, Chidimma could only beg for help. She said she started her business two years ago. “I don’t even know where to start but I wish to start again. Please help me. I need your help to start again.

    “This is our source of livelihood. We have lost everything in this fire outbreak. Bearing this is painful but I don’t have a choice”, she begged.

    Indeed, neighbours are canvassing support for the devastated family. Mrs. Peter Igbe, who trades at the market described the condition of the victims particularly Nmerigwe as terrible. She begged people to come to their aide.

    She said: “A neighbour called me and screamed that there is fire but before we came here, everything was burnt. Some of these people who are victims have helpers and others don’t.

    “The Patrick’s family are very wonderful people ,very nice and gentle. It is painful that they are in serious difficulty as this. Please whosoever can help should help them. It is not easy to be in this kind of situation”.

  • Four persons die in Kano blaze

    Four persons die in Kano blaze

    Four persons from a family of five, Thursday, lost their lives, during a fire outbreak, which engulfed some residential buildings in Tudun Murtala quarters in Nasarrawa Local Government Area of Kano State.

    In a similar fire incident, this time on Ijebu/Court Road, Sabon Gari, caused by power surge, about five persons suffered varying degree of injuries in the area, predominantly occupied by the non-indigenous community.

    The fire incident at Tudun Murtala, erupted from a compound, where petrol was stored, which spread to the adjoining buildings in clusters, where the four, out of a family of five were roasted to death.

    Among the injured, include a fire officer, who was part of the team battling the inferno, while the other victim from the ill-fated family was severely burnt.

    According to an eyewitness account, the fire, this started at about 10 pm, to midnight, continued to rage, following the storage of petrol and engine oil in the said building, which affected about four apartments.

    Volunteers, who first rushed to the scene, battled the fire, with sand, as an alternative measure, due to the unavailability of water in the area before the arrival of fire fighters.

    However, it was further learnt that the timely arrival of fire fighters, saved the fire from spreading to other areas, as they succeeded in bringing the fire under control.

    The Director, Kano State Fire Service, Mustapha Mohammed Rilwan, who confirmed the incident, said one of his officers, suffered severe burns, while others, who were also injured were rushed to the hospital for treatment.

    Rilwan, however warned those in the habit of storing petrol in their homes to desist from such a dangerous practice, adding that a stitch in time saves nine.

  • Three injured in fire outbreak

    Three injured in fire outbreak

    Three persons, two men and a woman, were injured on Monday night in a fire outbreak at 12 Kunle Iyamolere Street, Ogudu Ori-Oke, Lagos.

    The incident occurred following a gas explosion which damaged the kitchen and living room.

    The victims are receiving treatment in a hospital.

    Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA) General Manager, Mr Adesina Tiamiyu, said the agency received a distress call via the emergency toll free line around 6:20pm.

    “This prompted the immediate activation of the LASEMA Emergency Response Team (ERT) to the scene of the incident.

    “Investigation carried out by the LASEMA Response Team on getting to the scene of the incident revealed that the cause of the inferno/gas explosion could not be ascertained.

    “Fortunately, there was no loss of life, However, the inferno affected the kitchen and living room, while three adults (two males and a female) suffered serious burns.

    “LASEMA operatives alongside officials of the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), Lagos State Fire Service, policemen from Ogudu Division were responders at the scene. The operatives of the agency were involved in first aid intervention to the victims and later transferred the victims to Gbagada General Hospital, Gbagada and Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja,” Tiamiyu said.

    He urged Lagosians to ensure that gas cylinders were kept outside the building premises and to be careful when trying to ignite a gas cooker to avoid unfortunate incidents such as this.

    Proper investigation, he said, would be conducted on the incident.

  • Fire razes flats at Balogun Market

    Property worth millions of naira were destroyed Wednesday following a fire outbreak at a building at popular Lagos fabrics market, Balogun Market, on Balogun Street, Lagos Island.

    The fire, which began at around 11am, razed six mini flats on the third floor of a three storeyed building at No. 48.

    Some eyewitnesses said it could have been caused by an electrical fault as the fire began not long after electricity was restored to the area.

    There were no occupants in the flats when the incident occurred but all of their properties were destroyed and the building, right opposite First Bank Plc Balogun branch, completely lost its roof.

    Thankful traders on the ground and other floors told The Nation that they hurriedly cleared their goods and called the emergency services as soon as they noticed the fire.

    Mrs Yetunde Ayodele, a fabrics trader on the ground floor, said: “The fire started between 11am and noon. It began after the electricity came on. We didn’t have power since Tuesday, and soon as the lights came on, we heard something like sparks and not long afterwards we began to see smoke coming out of the flats on the third floor. People began to shout ‘Fire! Fire!’. There was pandemonium. Some people brought fire extinguishers from some of the big shops around. Others assisted with water. The banks around also brought their firefighting equipment. There was nobody in the flats, everyone had gone to work. I called one of the residents on phone, but she was in Ikorodu. The fire burnt everything, they could not salvage anything.”

    Another trader, who declined to give her name, said: “As soon as I saw the fire, I called the emergency number 112. About three fire service trucks came, but it was the first one to arrive that put off the fire. We are thankful it wasn’t worse. It didn’t touch our goods, but I feel sad for the residents.”

    Mrs Opeyemi Adewara, who occupied one of the flats with her husband and four children, told The Nation that she had lost everything.

    She said: “I was at Ikorodu when someone called me that my house was on fire. Everything was completely burnt. Laptops, desktops, documents, clothes, household goods, everything. We have been living here for six years and nothing like this has happened before. Right now, I don’t know what to do because we have nowhere to stay, nowhere to lay our heads tonight. I would appreciate a little help from the government to help us get a temporary place and to get us on our feet.”

    Her son, Michael confirmed her story. He was at a bank on the Island, he said, trying to make a deposit, when his mum called him to check on the house.

    “When I got there, the place was already completely burnt. There were emergency services officials everywhere. Lagos Urban Renewal Agency, Lagos State Emergency Response Agency, the police, Kick Against Indiscipline, Central Business District Officials, all of them were here. The fire services later asked for the names of everyone in the building. I told them and they left.”

  • Fire guts multi-million naira property in Sokoto market

    A fire outbreak on Sunday night destroyed goods and properties worth millions of naira at the old market in Sokoto.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the fire, which started around 10.00 pm lasted for about three hours before it was put off by firemen, traders and Good Samaritans, including Gov. Aminu Tambuwal.

    The market, locally known as Kasuwar Dan-Jabalu, is reputed for selling clothing materials, foot wears and jewelleries, as well as exchange of foreign currencies.

    A cross section of the affected traders described the incident as an act of God.

    ”This is a tragedy from God, and we have taken it as such as faithful Muslims.

    ” We are however soliciting for assistance from the Federal and Sokoto State Governments, public spirited individuals and groups,” one of the traders, Abdulkadir Mainiyo, said.

    Meanwhile, Gov. Tambuwal has expressed deep sympathy with the traders and promised to assist them.

    A statement by his spokesman, Imam Imam, said that the government would set up a committee to investigate the incident.

    “The committee will also recommend the necessary assistance to be rendered to the victims,” the statement added.

  • Fire Outbreaks: Ebonyi Government alleges sabotage

    Ebonyi State Government Saturday blamed the series of fire outbreaks in the state to sabotage by unknown persons.

    It said such acts of sabotage are being treated as terrorism by the state
    government.

    The state have recorded over eight fire outbreaks within the past two weeks
    with many lives lost and properties worth million of naira destroyed.

    The major ones include two separate incidents at the Abakpa Main Market in
    Abakaliki which razed at least 50 shops.

    Also an INEC office in Izzi local government was destroyed while a mother and seven of her children were burnt to death in another incident in Ishielu local government area.

    Chairman of Ebonyi State Emergency Management Agency, (EBSEMA), Evangelist
    Ephraim Ononye said the state government initially attributed the earlier fire outbreaks to carelessness by some residents.

    He said recurrence of such fires across the state have made it to reevaluate the cause.

    According to him, preliminary investigations show that the fires may have been deliberately started by unknown criminal elements.

    His words, “Earlier, we were looking at it from the angle of carelessness from the people but now I am looking at it as sabotage and terrorism. I am looking at it from the point that some people are behind it, I think it is a deliberate sabotage”.

    “The last fire outbreak at the market, there was no electricity in that area, so how did the fire start?. It wasn’t candle either because they close by 5pm and the fire started by 3am the following day. No candle left before close of market would have burnt till that time”

    “The fire at Ezeagu, the two buildings are not close to each other but the fire started at the same time on both buildings. So it’s also suspicious”.

    He blamed the inability of the fire service to respond adequately to the fires to inability of past administration to adequately equip the service.

    The Chairman said the state government has ordered two more fire fighting trucks which will arrive the state within the week to improve the capacity of the fire service.

    “Before the inception of this present administration, there was no fire service in Ebonyi state. They had just the structure and the vandalized vehicles”.

    “But the present administration rehabilitated their boreholes, built an underground water reservoir, channeled water from state water
    reservoir to be supplying them water and repaired their fire fighting truck.

    “Government have made approval for two water tankers that will arrive the state within the week to enhance their ability to fight fire.”