In the past, lives and belongings have been lost to fires across the country. The latest fire incident was recorded at the headquarters of the West African Examination Council building in Lagos State last week. Seven women trapped in the third floor of the building were eventually rescued alive.
Earlier, reports showed that between January and September 2020, the country witnessed over 60 cases of fire incidents across many states. Lagos recorded two pipeline explosions at Abule-Egba and Abule-Ado areas in the first quarter of 2020 resulting in the death of 21 people, while over 100 buildings and 11 trucks were destroyed.
Also in January 2021, not less than 170 fully stocked shops with various items including foodstuffs, gas cylinders among others were ruined by an inferno which occurred at Alade market in the Somolu area of Lagos State. While 101 shops were rescued by fire-fighters, 70 were affected by the outbreak.
A 2021 report by the Federal Fire Service identified electrical sparks as the major cause of fire incidents across the country. It revealed that in 2021, 636 fire incidents were caused by electrical discharge, while electrical equipment was responsible for 447 cases.
It added that gas and special services, cigarette stub and bush burning accounted for 151 and 133 of incidents respectively. High voltage also accounted for 106 cases while 91 were caused by reckless burning of candles.
According to the report, 85 fire incidents were also caused by illegal storage of petroleum products and a total of 136 lives lost to fire outbreaks.
Also, the Director of State Fire Service in Kaduna State, Paul Aboi, stated that in 2021, the state recorded 716 cases of fire incidents.
He disclosed that January had the highest number of incidence with 112 outbreaks, while 94 cases were recorded in March. He added there were 91 cases in December and 76 in April 2021, noting that high rates of outbreaks were usually recorded between December and April because of the dry season.
In January 2022 alone, about 10 cases of fire outbreaks were recorded in markets and business locations in Warri, Delta State resulting in destruction of valuables. The trend forced the Chairman of Warri South Local Government, Dr Micheal Tidi, to embark on campaigns to put a stop to the dangerous trend.
The fire incidents are not limited to the above states. They cut across many states. Meanwhile, the Lagos State government in its determination to reduce fire disasters in the state empowered the state fire department with 62 brand new fire apparatus consisting of fire trucks and support vehicles.
The state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, during the inauguration, promised more equipment and well-trained personnel to tackle emergency fire and rescue services across the state.
Experts have however identified power surge, electrical spark, electrical equipment, negligence and lack of adequate fire safety equipment, as the major causes of fire occurrences in recent times, urging people to adhere to certain safety precautions.
A fire safety expert, Alex Nwankwo, stated that the effects of fire outbreaks on the environment could result in loss of lives and finances if necessary precautions were not taken.
He said, “It affects the environment in such a way that if there is a fire outbreak in one building, it can easily affect the others and there will be several losses; financial and human losses. People should put the necessary precautions in place. There is no magic there. It’s just for people to know how to use the fire extinguisher.”
He noted the need for people to imbibe the habit of equipping their apartments, offices and other business areas with safety equipment to tackle fire outbreaks.
Nwankwo added, “Most of the cables that are sold in the market now are substandard. That is one of the problems now in Nigeria such that when there is a little challenge; one will see fire erupting from cables. We advise that people should buy original cables for the wiring of their houses. People should also have fire extinguishers and fire blankets in their homes. Many houses and offices do not have this equipment. When you go to some places, you will find outdated fire extinguishers. Some of them just keep them there without the necessary servicing. I have seen a situation where there was an explosion from a car but there was no fire extinguisher to put it off.
“The basic fire safety equipment I will advise modern house owners to install is smoke detectors. When there is a smoke detector, it will detect any form of smoke before fire erupts. Fire extinguishers are divided into different categories; the dry powder, ECP and the C02. We advise that for electrical fire, people should use ECP but for splash fire like the ones coming out from kitchen areas, they should use C02. For a tanker, what is needed is a fire substitute; using water mixed with chemicals. In some industrial areas, there are sprinklers in most of those complexes which put off the fire if there is nobody to attend to it.”
The safety expert explained the significance of having well-equipped fire service stations at strategic locations in a state, stating that a quick access to them would prevent or lessen the effects of any fire outbreak.
Nwankwo, however, urged state governments to provide hydrant points where water could easily be drawn during an emergency period.
He stated, “Most times, logistics is the cause of late arrivals by fire-fighters to scenes of fire incidents. It could be that their truck is faulty, unavailability of water, insufficient fuel, manpower and there could be faulty communication process. People should be made to also know the emergency code so that whenever there is fire anywhere, they will get across to the appropriate agency. Governments need to put those things in place and possibly they can extend the service locations to where there are more residential areas. If there are many fire stations, it will reduce the emergency time. It’s difficult for them to get to remote areas, but if there are nearby stations, it could save the situation.”
Also, a security and facility management expert, Anselm Ozueh, said there was a need for states to ensure that everyone was aware of fire preventive measures to reduce fire incidents. He stated that regular checks on sources of power supply could be a vital prevention method, adding that one of the ways to curb fire outbreaks was to provide adequate safety equipment.
He said, “Prevention is the remedy to this situation. All appliances should be turned off when not in use and should be abandoned when they are faulty. Regular check of the facility to ensure things are in order is also important. Once heat is generated from where it is not meant to, it should be attended to with urgency. If it is an electrical fault, experts should be called to fix it. Fire extinguishers of all types should also be available at homes, offices and market places. The use of such equipment is non-negotiable.’’
He also identified negligence and carelessness as causes of fires, adding that there was a need for states to ensure proper awareness on fire outbreaks.
Ozueh added, “The major cause of fire incidents in this part of the world is negligence. There is this level of carelessness towards our attitude to work. For instance, when there is a fire emanating from a generator house, one has to switch off the source powering the entire facility. The facility may require a 500KVA generator to power it, but because of the economic situation in the country, they decided to use a lower capacity generator. That can result in melting of cables and an eventual fire outbreak. Some electricians are also not careful. When they need to join cables and manage to avoid partial contact, it is not well done both in private, public and commercial facilities. The fire incidents in the markets often emanate from electrical sparks. Sometimes, people do not turn off their appliances after work. Awareness is needed for people to turn off appliances when they are not around because some people leave fans, air-conditioners, and others on and go out. These items can generate sparks. There could also be a power surge from the electricity supply.”
According to him, fire-fighters across service stations must also improve on their attitudinal approach to fire incidents.
He advised them to develop an ownership mode of approach to such incidents.
He added. “There should be an orientation about attitude to work and fire and we should also be our brother’s keeper. There is a professional way to approach fire. It starts from the urgency, readiness. What happens in this part of the world is that it is when the fire service receives an emergency call that they will start loading their vehicles and looking for other necessary fire equipment.’’