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Tag: Fire

  • Jos Market fire: I’m devastated by the scale of losses – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday consoled victims of the Jos market fire which destroyed more than 200 shops.

    In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President said he was devastated by the scale of economic losses suffered by hard-working and ordinary Nigerians who believe in self-reliance to support themselves.

    “Trading and agriculture remain the mainstay of these hardworking businessmen and women and every democratic leader would genuinely feel the pains of the victims of this fire disaster.

    “With profound sense of empathy, I am touched by the large-scale economic losses suffered by the victims of this fire disaster. The role of these enterprising Nigerians in the economy of our country cannot be underestimated,” the President said.

    Buhari said he was worried that the latest fire disaster at the Jos market was the third in less than 10 years.

    “As you count your losses, I send you my heartfelt commiserations over this devastating disaster. I am confident that your enterprising spirit would help you rebuild your lives. May God replenish you with more prosperity,” he said.

    The President also appealed to the local authorities concerned to take every necessary measure to forestall frequent fire incidents.

    He said the incidents were taking a heavy toll on people’s means of livelihood and the intervention of all three tiers of government would go a long way to alleviating the hardships.

  • [In pictures] Jos Terminus market on fire

    Traders at Jos Terminus market on Saturday counted their losses after a midnight fire gutted the market.

    The chairman of Traders Association in Plateau, Alhaji Abdulrahman Yusuf, told journalists in Jos that over 270 shops with properties worth millions of naira were destroyed.

    Below are some of the photographs taken at the scene of the fire incident courtesy NAN and twitter:

  • Panic as fire guts Terminus Market in Jos

    Traders at Jos main market on Saturday counted their losses after a midnight fire gutted the market.

    Alhaji Abdulrahman Yusuf, the chairman of Traders Association in Plateau, told newsmen in Jos that over 270 shops with properties worth millions of Naira were destroyed.

    “We have one trader in this market that lost goods worth over N20 million.

    “So, it’s a huge loss and it’s quite devastating, ” he lamented.

    Yusuf called on government to come to the aid of the traders, to enable them bounce back to business.

    The market which was in 2001 razed by fire, now has petty traders with make-shift shops as occupants.

    Mr Adie Undie, the Plateau Police Commissioner, told newsmen that the fire started around 1:30a.m, and the cause was yet to be ascertained.

    “This incident happened around 1:30.a.m and our men and that of the Department of Fire Service responded promptly.

    “The nature of the market really hindered the men of the fire service from accessing it with ease, but they did their best.

    “My officers were able to cordon the arena and ensure hoodlums didn’t take undue advantage of the situation to loot, ” he said.

    The commissioner said he would liaise with relevant authorities to unravel the cause of the fire.

    He said his men would remain at the scene to ensure miscreants do not take undue advantage to loot.

    Philip Nyam, the Transition Implementation Committee (TIC) Chairman of Jos North Local Government Area, described the incident as unfortunate.

    He commiserated with the affected traders and promised government support.

  • Fire razes 6 shops in Kano market

    Fire razes 6 shops in Kano market

    No fewer than six shops were burnt at Kofar Wambai Jewelry Market (Kasuwar ‘Yan Yeri) in Kano on Friday night.

    The Director of the State Fire Service, Alhaji Sagir Madaki, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Saturday that the fire burnt six shops.

    He said “we received a distress call from Kofar Wambai Police Division at about 8:57p.m that there was fire outbreak at the market.

    ”On receiving the information, we quickly sent some of our personnel and fire fighting vehicle to the scene of the incident at about 9:05p.m to quench the fire.”

    Madaki said that with the quick intervention of fire service personnel it took 55 minutes to put it under control so as not to spread to other shops.

    The director said the cause of the fire was under investigation.

    He advised traders at the market and other residents to be more careful and desist from using instruments capable of triggering fire as a way of guarding against future occurence.

    The director also advised the people to keep fire bucket, fire blanket and fire extinguisher that would enablethem to curtail the spread of fire before calling on the fire service.

  • Barber who set self ablaze on Lagos road dies

    Barber who set self ablaze on Lagos road dies

    A barber who set himself ablaze on a road leading to Omole Estate, near Akiode Bus Stop died while receiving treatment at a hospital in Lagos.

    The barber had reportedly emerged on the road around 4:30pm on Wednesday holding a five-litre jerrycan of petrol.

    He subsequently poured the fuel on his body; struck a match and lit himself.

    It was learnt that a passerby, who was standing a few metres away from the scene, rushed to put out the fire.

    The young man, who was identified simply as Ahmed, was said to have died shortly after he was rescued from the scene around 5:00pm by officials of the Lagos State Ambulance Services.

    Before the arrival of the emergency officials and policemen from the Ojodu Division, it was gathered that a mild drama played out.

    “While a man used a piece of torn carton to fan the man, some passersby were busy taking his photograph,” an eyewitness, Dolapo Gabriel, told PUNCH,

    Gabriel stated that Ahmed was running a barber’s shop until his life recently took a drastic turn.

    “I saw him pouring the fuel on himself but I thought it was water. Within seconds, he brought out a pack of matches from his pocket and set himself ablaze. Fortunately, a food seller close to the gate had some water. A man quickly took the water to put out the fire. Some people and I joined him. It was strange to me,” he added.

    A resident, who introduced himself simply as Tolu, explained that he saw Ahmed walking along the road on Monday and advised him on the need to turn a new leaf.

    He said, “He was a barber and used to have a shop around Akiode. He closed the shop sometime ago and started roaming about the neighbourhood. He smoked a lot which I think affected his brain.

    “Two days ago, I met him on the road and talked to him that he needed to change. I told him that I would take him to church next Sunday for special prayers. He asked me to buy roasted corn for him which I did after he assured me he would follow me to the church.”

    Another eyewitness, Samuel, described Ahmed as a drug addict, saying that he had been mentally unstable for some time.

    “Many people around here know him. He used to be a decent person before he suddenly changed as a result of drugs. He lived with his family within this community and they are aware of his plight,” she said.

    A senior emergency official told our correspondent on Friday that Ahmed gave up the ghost while he was receiving treatment.

    “It is unfortunate that we could not save the man’s life. He died while receiving treatment and his corpse had been handed over to his family,” the official disclosed.

    The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Chike Oti, confirmed the incident, but said he had yet to be briefed on the man’s death.

    He said, “The incident is true. The man attempted suicide by setting himself ablaze but he was rescued. We have yet to ascertain the reason why he took that deadly action.”

  • 24 dead, properties worth N13.2bn lost in Delta fire outbreak

    At least 24 persons died while 176 were rescued in the fire outbreaks which occurred in Delta between May 2015 and April 2018.

    Mr Ernest Ogwezzy, the state Commissioner in charge of Directorate of the Bureau for Special Duties disclosed this in Asaba on Monday at an annual news conference of the bureau.

    He said property worth N13.2 billion was also lost to fire outbreaks while the Delta Fire Service saved property worth N8.3 billion during the period.

    He highlighted some of the notable incidents to include that of Anioma Petrol Station, Okpanam Road, Asaba and the one that occurred at the College of Education Cooperative Filling Station, Warri.

    “Others are the fire at Beta Glass factory in Ughelli and the one at the Sapele Main Market which occurred on Oct. 13, 2017,’’ he said.

    The commissioner said “the fire statistics also showed that the state fire service attended to794 fire calls, out of which 63 were false calls.”

    Ogwezzy siad the bureau generated N53 million as revenue through the issuance and renewal of fire safety certificates to petrol and gas stations, industries and other business premises during the period.

    He said the State Government recently approved an insurance cover of N10 million yearly for all personnel of the service and N49 million for the procurement of firefighting equipment and accessories.

    The commissioner said that N41.1 million had been approved for the renovation of the Kwale, Issele-Uku, Agbor and Ugwashi-Uku fire service stations and the contractors would soon be mobilised.

    Ogwezzy said that N15.3 was approved for uniform and kits for the staff while N10 6 million was also approved for the construction of water hydrant/boreholes at the event centre in Asaba.

    The commissioner said that this was in the event of death, temporal and permanent disabilities that might occur in the course of their duties.

    He also said that the bureau through its State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) inspected over 115 cases of fires, 60 cases of rainstorm and over 2,500 cases of flood disasters across the state.

    The commissioner also said that the bureau, through SEMA, distributed relief materials to victims of rainstorms, fire disasters and flood across the state.

    “The agency was able to assist a total of 94 fire disaster victims across the state with the sum of N8.1 million.

    “The sum of N4.2 million was given to 53 victims of rainstorm disasters in Obiaruku in Ukwuani Local Government Area of the state,’’ he said.

     

  • Hoodlums invade, set Imo APC secretariat on fire

    There was pandemonium in Imo State on Friday as hoodlums invade and set the All Progressives Congress (APC) secretariat on fire.

    Though the fire didn’t affect the external parts of the building, the internal parts were engulfed in inferno.

    The secretariat located at the Imo State University junction in Owerri around 6:30 pm amidst downpour, saw the secretariat engulfed in smoke.

    Though no member of staff was sighted, people watched from afar as the smoke surged.

    According to eyewitnesses, secretarial equipment, including files and documents, were destroyed.

    No firefighter was seen on ground, neither did anybody make efforts to fight the fire.

    When contacted, the state party chairman, Hilary Eke, who confirmed the development, accused those who he said attacked the party state office last weekend.

    Eke, who said that the unidentified hoodlums attacked the secretariat “just to frustrate the Local Government Areas congress of the party on Saturday”, vowed that the exercise must go on.

    He insisted that the contentious ward congress of the party was successful, urging those “who lost during the last weekend exercise to give peace a chance.”

    “I have been in a meeting ahead of the LGA congress of the party in Imo State.

    “Those who attacked the secretariat the other Saturday are likely to be the same people who set it on fire on Friday (today).

    “Despite the provocation, the LGA congress must go on on Saturday.

    “We have already elected five-man per ward during the ward congress. The Congress does not take place at party secretariat, it will take place in the 27 LGAs of the state on Saturday.

    “I petitioned the Inspector General of Police over the attack on the Secretariat the other Saturday.

    “My duty is to report to the Police and the Police have the duty to investigate.

    “So, members of staff identified those who attacked it. “

  • Fire kills 4 children, 2 women in abandoned warehouse

    A total of four children and two women were killed in fire that gutted an abandoned warehouse occupied by hundreds of informal settlers in the Philippines, the Bureau of Fire Protection said on Thursday.

    It stated that “fire broke out on the second floor of the warehouse in the Manila suburban city of Paranaque on Wednesday evening and raged for more than three hours.”

    It noted that two mothers and their four sons, aged between three years and 10 years, were killed in the fire.

    About 50 families or more than 250 people were squatting in the three-storey warehouse in spite of warnings from local officials that the building was not safe.

    Investigators were still working to determine the cause of the fire but initial information indicated that it started in one of the rooms on the second floor where a boy was allegedly playing with matches.

    NAN

  • CBN debunks fire incidence at Abuja head office

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has denied the report that its head office in Abuja was on fire on Tuesday.

    In a statement issued by the apex bank’s spokesperson, Isaac Okoroafor said the report of the fire incidence was false.
    Read the statement in full:
    “Reports that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) head office building is on fire are false.
    “Passersby who saw a pall of exhaust from the generator house far away from the building apparently mistook the exhaust for fire smoke.
    “The CBN maintains a total security system that triggers safety alarms in the presence of smoke and so all fire engines and personnel received the alert only to discover that it was an unusual pall of exhaust.
    “The affected generator has been rested and normal work has been uninterrupted, while the engineers are working to rectify the issues with the generator. We hereby assure the general public that there has been no fire at our building. “

  • Fire razes NEMA warehouse in Lagos

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) warehouse at Ikeja in Lagos, was on Saturday gutted by fire.

    The South-West zonal spokesman of the agency, Mr Farinloye Ibrahim who confirmed the incident to newsmen, said that the warehouse was being used to keep relief materials.

    “We don’t have many materials in the warehouse as at the time of the fire incident. We have few mattresses, foams and other few facilities. The fire started at about 8.30 a.m.

    “The damage was not much before the fire was put out. We cannot estimate as at now the cost of the materials burnt, ”Ibrahim said.

    The Director of Lagos State Fire Service, Mr Rasaki Musibau, said that a high tension cable fell on the roof of the warehouse which resulted to the fire.

    Musibau said the service’s timely intervention prevented the fire from spreading to a nearby petrol filling station and other public buildings

    “No casualties. We drew firemen from three stations to put out the fire. The firemen, officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency and police put out the fire,’’ he said.