The Nation Newspaper

Tag: fire service

  • Residents blame fire service for loss of properties

    Occupants of Block 369 in Double Star area of Jakande Estate in Ejigbo Local Development Area of Lagos have absolved themselves of blame in the  fire that ravaged their apartments.

    They are blaming fire fighters for the incident.

    The inferno destroyed two flats in a two-storey building.

    It was gathered that occupants of a flat left their gas switch on. Another person said the fire emanated from the air conditioner  that wasn’t switched off.

    A victim, John Ogwu, said electricity voltage in the area had not been stable for a while, adding that he switched off all appliances before he left for work.

    He said: “I was at Ikeja when a neighbour called that my flat was on fire and immediately I dialled 112. I also called the Ejigbo fire service but I was told they were not working. I called Isolo Fire Service, they said there was no water. It was later I informed the Bariga office and before they reached the estate, my properties were gone. There was nothing left in the house. I went to Ejigbo LCDA and nothing has been done; nobody has called me.”

    His certificates, his wife’s  and children’s birth certificates, he said, went with the fire.

    “If the fire fighters got to my place on time, they would have rescued few things. An estate that is owned by the government should have a fire service unit because it has over 500,000 occupants leaving there,” he added.

    A resident, Nelly Momodu, who runs a barber’s shop opposite the affected building, said the fire was caused high voltage.

    Momodu said when the light was restored, it fluctuated and people complained of how it damaged their appliances.

    He said: “Some residents tried to put out the fire but it was more than their capacity. The land meant for the fire service to build their station in the estate has been sold out to people and other spaces have been rented out as shops.”

  • Aba: Fire destroys goods worth millions of naira

    Aba: Fire destroys goods worth millions of naira

    Properties estimated to worth over N5 million were on Friday morning engulfed in an inferno that occurred along the busy Aba-Owerri road in the commercial city of Abia State.

    This is coming barely 3days after four persons were reportedly killed by an articulated truck driver who rammed into three commercial tricycles and a Toyota Sienna SUV and allegedly discharging its content on the victims in a nearby ditch.

    While no life was lost in the fire incident, The Nation gathered burnt about seven vehicles, three commercial tricycles and destroyed commercial and residential buildings within the area the incident occurred.

    According to an eyewitness account, Augustine Anosike said that the truck loaded with Diesel was entering a filling station along the Aba-Owerri road to discharge its content when the body of the vehicle bearing the petroleum product pulled off and landed on the road’s median and overturned its content on the road.

    Another eyewitness, Ifeanyi Okoro, who corroborated the former, said “the tanker was going into the opposite filling Station but we didn’t know that it was carrying something inside it. Normally, because it is a long truck, other vehicles coming from Osisioma into Aba will hold on for it to find turn and pack very well.

    “So, while the driver was trying to reverse in order to pack well, the body of the truck pulled out from the head unknown to the driver, discharging its content on the road. And because we know the dangers it portends, we rushed to the other side of the main road to stop vehicles and avert the impending dangers. But a stubborn commercial driver who could not wait bypassed some of us and drove on the diesel.

    “We suspected that the heat from the bus exhaust pipe was what ignited the fire and before you know what is happening, everywhere was in flame. The rage of the fire was so fierce that some of us had to run for safety until the Abia State Fire servicemen arrived the scene.

    “They (Fire Servicemen) were actually prompt and it was as a result of their promptness that some property that worth over billions of naira was saved. We thank God that no life was lost, but the damage was too terrible. The whereabouts of the driver and the truck is still not known because he sped off immediately the fire started burning. If you go into the nearby compound, you will see a truck 911 that ran into there for safety, but was unfortunately burnt in the process. Another man just stopped by the road side for the vulcanizer to either pump or change his car tyre but because of the rate the fire was spreading, the car  got burnt in the process.”, Ifeanyi narrated.

    Nnamdi Ukata, whose vehicle was affected in a nearby compound, said “I am a driver and I come to Aba from Umuahia on daily basis, but after working I will pack my vehicle in this compound to go back and return the next day. While I was coming into Aba this morning, I saw a thick black cloud in the sky and I never knew that the fire incident was happening where I packed my car. But when I came around, I saw my car burnt to ashes. I don’t know what to do. Am just confused”, he said.

    Another man that lost his car in the inferno, Rev. Alfred Okeke told reporters that he parked his car by the roadside to buy feed for his livestock before the incident and lamented that his car was equally engulfed in the inferno.

    A resident of one of the affected buildings, Mr. Emmanuel Kingsley while thanking God for sparing the lives of his brothers and other members of his family, described the incident as one of the horrific experiences he has had in recent times.

    Our correspondent, reports that while men of the Abia State Fire Service were battling to quench the fire, personnel of the Aba Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) were also on ground to ensure that there was free flow of traffic in the area.

    An official of the Fire Service who spoke to our correspondent on anonymity said the situation would have been worse than the damage if the content was Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS).

    FRSC Aba Commander, Okora Awassam who lamented the attitude of truck drivers on the road said that there were a lot of enlightenment programmes that the agency had initiated to educate the drivers on the need to be safety conscious at all times.

    Awassam urged truck owners and drivers to also make sure that their vehicle were in good shape before driving on the road.

  • Fire guts building at Allen Avenue

    Fire guts building at Allen Avenue

    A fire outbreak was on Tuesday reported at a building along Allen Avenue, Ikeja.

    The building which is located on 11, Wole Ogundimu Street off Awosika, Allen Avenue, was smoke logged fire service men arrived the scene.

     

  • ‘Review fire service law’

    ‘Review fire service law’

    The Lagos State House of Assembly has called on the government to upgrade fire fighting equipment and also review the state fire service law of 1972.

    This was part of the resolution at plenary yesterday when the issue of the death of a firefighter, Olumide Ogunubi, was raised by Segun Olulade (Epe 2)

    The House also called on the government to investigate the cause of death.

    Olulade said the firefighter was attached to Ikotun Fire Service station and that he died while trying to save a well digger.

    “If it is not well investigated, it would affect the morale of firefighters in the state and in the country. He died in active service. We should call on the government to upgrade the fire equipment and update the Fire Service Law of 1972,” he said.

    According to Olulade, Olumide went to attend to an emergency and the belt he used to tie himself to the well cut off, leading to his untimely death.

    Gbolahan Yishawu (Eti Osa 1) said  the state does not have safety laws and that most firefighters work with obsolete equipment.

    “We need a health and safety law in the state. We should wait for the investigation to know if it was the equipment that was bad.

    The Chief Whip, Rotimi Abiru, said  the incident was not a fire and that equipment should be well defined, adding that the House should condole with the family of the deceased.

    Bisi Yusuf (Alimosho 1) said the government should provide water so that residents would stop digging wells.

    Rotimi Olowo (Shomolu 1) said the government, Ministry of Physical and Urban Planning and Ministry of Water Resources should ensure that Lagosians have access to water.

    Speaker Mudashiru Obasa constituted an ad-hoc committee headed by the Deputy Chief-Whip, Omotayo Oduntan, to investigate the matter. Other members are Saka Solaja, Sola Giwa, Rotimi Olowo and Funmilayo Tejuosho.