The Nation Newspaper

Tag: fire

  • Fire razes gas firm

    Fire razes gas firm

    Fire razed Allen Gas Company in Okota, Lagos, last Saturday, while a tanker was discharging gas.

    The Nation learnt that a generator placed near the tanker started emitting so much heat and exploded.

    Director, State Fire Service Mr Rasak Fadipe said the explosion shattered louvres of the nearby houses.

    He said two workers of the company were injured.

    “When we got to the scene, we noticed the generator beside the surface tank developed excessive heat which may have caused the explosion,” he said.

    Fadipe said it took three hours to put out the inferno.

    “The fire consumed two gas tanks, surface tanks, five buses loaded with gas cylinders, two generators, two offices and one Peugeot vehicle,” he said.

  • Benue APC Assembly candidate loses millions in fire

    Benue APC Assembly candidate loses millions in fire

    A mysterious fire has razed the electronics and sports equipment shop of the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Assembly’s candidate for Ogbadibo in Benue State, Dennis Iyampe.

    Goods estimated at over N60 million were said to have been destroyed in the fire, which reportedly started at 7:45 pm after the shop had closed for the day.

    Iyampe told our reporter yesterday that he contested the Ogbadigbo seat but lost to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate “in a fraudulent manner”.

    According to him, he had been gathering materials and the result of the election to challenge the declaration of his opponent at the tribunal.

    Iyampe said he suspected a foul play because he kept the evidence for his planned legal battle at the shop.

    He said: “The arsonist(s) came to the shop and opened the small window at the back. They tore the net and splashed petrol everywhere before they set it ablaze. The fire spread fast and consumed the goods within 30 minutes. Nothing was salvaged in the shop.”

    Iyampe said he was not deterred by the fire, adding that he would pursue his case at the tribunal to a logical end.

    The politician said there was no election in Ogbadibo.

    According to him, figures were concocted and forwarded to the Collation Centre.

    The fire has been reported to the police.

     

  • Fire guts shops

    There was a fire yesterday at the popular Maggi shop at Sabon Gari Market in Kano,  destroying parts of the one-storey building.

    An eye witness told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the incident occurred at 11:30 a.m.

    According to the witness, the fire was caused by a generator on the first floor.

    The witness said the quick intervention of firemen prevented the fire from spreading.

    ‘’No life was lost but one person, who was said to have jumped from the building,was injured,’’ the witness said.

    The Director of the State Fire Service, Balarabe Kabara,  told NAN that the fire was caused by a small generator at the first floor of the building.

    He said scraps from disused radio and television sets were destroyed by the inferno.

     

  • Fire guts sawmill, building, bank

    Fire guts sawmill, building, bank

    FIRE yesterday swept through Oko-Baba Sawmill in Ebute-meta, Lagos Mainland; a bank and a building, destroying Properties worth millions of naira.

    Traders at the sawmill are counting their losses to the fire, which reportedly began around 2a.m.

    “I received a phone call around 3am that the market had been destroyed. I was confused. I didn’t know what to do but to see for myself. On getting there, I almost passed out. The only thing I could picture was my machines; generators and planks I just bought. Oh! God why me? How will I move on?”, said John Ezenye, who claimed to have lost equipment worth N12million.

    Ezenye said the planks he just ordered were still at the shoreline because he thought he was going to pay his supplier after yesterday’s sales.

     The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained but some traders believed it could be the carelessness of those who sleep in the market.

    Another trader, Niyi Akinloye, said that was the second time his goods would be destroyed.

    “What else can I do than to accept my fate? I just sawed some woods yesterday (Monday) and anticipated my customers who promised to come today (yesterday). I am pained you don’t need to ask. I just hope favour comes from somewhere,” Akinloye said.

    Another trader, simply called Alhaja, said she lost her office to the fire.

    “I lost so many things. I had vital documents there. All the logs of wood I cut yesterday (Monday) got burnt. I will be depressed if I continue to count my losses,” she said.

    Secretary, Lagos Mainland Saw Millers F Ward Oye Agbujeloye praised the fire fighters saying: “I learnt that it was probably due to carelessness of some individuals who sleep in the market. I know it wasn’t deliberately destroyed because we are like a family here. This is another challenge and we must continue. I plead with the government to assist us because we also pay some dues to them. They should rescue us because some of us have employees who have families to fend for.”

    He added that four industrial generators were burnt.

    There was panic at a branch of Ecobank on Oba Ogunnusi Road, Omole, Lagos, when fire gutted its generator. The generator is outside the bank.

    A boys’ quarters at 46, Adegbola Street in Alakuko, Lagos, was also razed by fire.

    Director of the State Fire Service Rasaq Fadipe said four rooms in the boys’ quarter got damaged.

    “The fire at the boys’ quarter was due to electrical surge. Immediately we got the information, I deployed men from Alausa and Ogba to the scenes. Thank God, there was no casualty,” he said

  • Fire razes Katsina-Ala INEC Area

    Fire razes Katsina-Ala INEC Area

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Area Office in Katsina-Ala, Benue was gutted by fire in the early hours of Sunday, April 19, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

    NAN reports that the office serves as the commission’s collation centre for the Benue North-East Senatorial District.

    Mr Louis Ochai, INEC Public Relations Officer in Benue, who confirmed the incident on Sunday in Makurdi, said the commission was yet to ascertain the cause of the incident.

    He explained that no sensitive materials were destroyed, as all sensitive materials as well as card readers were removed immediately after the elections.

    NAN reports that the April 19 incident brings to three, INEC office gutted by fire in the senatorial zone in the past three weeks.

  • Fire guts Mamman Kontagora Building in Lagos

    Fire guts Mamman Kontagora Building in Lagos

    An early morning fire in Lagos on Wednesday gutted the Mamman Kontagora Building which houses the Federal Mortgage Bank and other businesses.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the13-storey building, located on Marina Street, accommodates the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), the Federal Mortgage Bank, Diamond Bank Plc, Union Bank of Nigeria and others.

    An eyewitness said the fire started from the third floor where the generators, powering the entire building were located.

    The eyewitness told NAN that the inferno was first noticed at about 9 a.m. before people began to settle down for the day’s work.

    It took the men of the Lagos State Fire Services and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) about four hours before they could put out the fire.

    The Head of Operations of LASEMA, Mr. Femi Giwa confirmed the incidence.

    Giwa, who spoke on behalf of the General Manager of the agency, Mr Femi Osanyintolu, said that the agency received the distress call at 9.15 a.m.

    “We immediately activated our emergency response on receiving the call.

    “Immediately, the Lagos Fire Service, Men of Nigeria Police Force, Federal Fire Service, UBA Fires Service, Union Bank and Federal Port Fire Service response kicked off the rescue operations before 10. a.m.,’’ Giwa said.

    However, the fire continued to rage, spreading to the 8th floor through cables and other combustible materials in building.

    NAN reports that rescue operations continued as at the time of filling this report but there had not been any casualty as all the workers were evacuated immediately the alarm sounded.

  • Fire guts INEC’s office

    Fire guts INEC’s office

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office at Nworie-Ubi in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State has been gutted by fire.

    The building, surrounded by bush at the council headquarters, was set ablaze by yet-to-be identified people on Saturday, resulting in the loss of vital documents.

    A witness said the fire started about 1am, adding that efforts by fire fighters to put it out failed, as the building was in flames before their arrival.

    Police Commissioner Austin Evbakhavbokun confirmed the inferno.

    He said the incident occurred when a generator exploded, igniting the jerry cans of fuel stored in the building.

    The police boss said the generator operator has been arrested.

    The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Gabriel Adah, could not be reached for comments.

  • Panic in Abraka as fire razes bakery

    Panic in Abraka as fire razes bakery

    A midnight fire at a bakery in Abraka left residents and students in the Delta State University (DELSU) host community in distress. The incident happened at 1am on Thursday, last week at Manner Bakery at NEPA Line area of Abraka.

    The cause of the inferno was unknown at press time but residents said an explosion followed the fire outbreak, causing panic in the neighbourhood.

    A resident, whose house is close to the bakery, said the incident sent a wave of shock to the neighbourhood, describing it as “unexpected”. He said: “I heard a loud bang and a thick smoke billowed from the bakery. I woke up the neighbours for help.”

    The inferno, the eyewitness said, became uncontrollable. “We could not do anything to contain the fire after the explosion. When men of the fire service arrived, the damage had already been done,” he said.

    A worker in the bakery said the fire could have been an act of sabotage, noting that there was no power supply in the area when the incident happened.

    When CAMPUSLIFE visited the scene, charred materials littered the place as the building was razed.

    A bakery worker said raw materials delivered to the bakery the previous day, including 20 bags of flour, sugar and machine were destroyed.

    A 300-Level Pharmacy student, Judith Oghenemaro, who lives in the neighborhood, said: “I was reading when I heard a deafening bang and shout of fire. I was dazed for a moment because I thought it was bomb blast.”

     

     

  • Who set INEC’s office on fire?

    SIR: There is certainly more than meets the eye about the fire outbreak at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja. It is either somebody deliberately set the office on fire or there was negligence on the part of INEC and its staff. This fire is certainly connected with the forthcoming elections.

    I imagine agents of destabilization are working towards forcing another postponement or tampering with electoral materials. But I am glad they failed.

    INEC and Nigerians are ready to go to the polls come March 28 and April 11. Nigerians should be patient and pray to Almighty Allah to give us good leaders. I pray that we have peaceful, free, fair and credible elections this year.

     

    • Comrade Abdulbaqia Aliyu Jari, Abuja.
  • Petrol-laden vehicle catches fire

    Petrol-laden vehicle catches fire

    A Toyota Sienna vehicle marked KTU 652 AY conveying foodstuff and some gallons of petrol caught fire yesterday at Ile-Epo Bus Stop along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

    Mr Lawrence Oladejo, Head of Operations, Agege Fire Station at Oke-Odo in Lagos, who was an eye witness, said: “I informed our officials immediately because I had to prevent other cars from burning and I thank God no vehicle was affected. People should take precaution on the storage of petrol in vehicles.”

    A passerby, who identified himself as Adedotun said the driver ran away.

    “There was no casualty. I appreciate the efforts of the fire fighters. They saved lives and property,” he said.