The Lagos State Fire Service has said 79 people died in different fire disasters in Lagos State between January and November this year. The service who revealed this in a statement by the spokesman of the service, Mr Amodu Shakiru on Friday in Lagos added that it also rescued 99 victims from 1,638 fire operations recorded by the service within the period.
It stated that property estimated at N16.38 billion were lost in the incidents. According to the statement, properties estimated at N98.28 billion were saved during the fire operations in the period under review. “Out of the 1,638 fire operations recorded, there were 1,356 fire calls, 113 rescue calls, 11 building collapse cases and 158 false calls. “The victims rescued alive were 99 and victims recovered suspected dead were 79.’’
The Lagos State Government has disclosed that properties estimated at N89.26 billion have been saved from being consumed by fire in the last 10 months.
The Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Mr Rasak Fadipe, while lamenting the rising cases of fire incidence in the Lagos metropolis had before now noted that the figure attested to the fact that people are yet to comply with the safety advocacy campaign of the government and this has become a source of concern.
To curb the tide of this menace, he said that the agency had been repositioned and transformed with provisions of new equipment to meet the challenges associated with mega city. Fadipe warned Lagosians who were fond of buying and storing the premium motor spirit (PMS) as a result of scarcity of the product to desist from the act and be fire safety-conscious.
The fire boss said no fire outbreak is small or big in terms of the destruction and trauma victims encounter during and after the outbreak. He urged parents and guardians to warn their children against careless handling of electronic appliances, naked wires and gas cookers among others as all these are major sources of fire disaster.
Fadipe appealed that basic portable fire protection equipment such as fire extinguisher, fire blanket and fire alarm system should be kept within reach in order to prevent the spread of fire outbreak if occurred.
To the management of petrol stations, Fadipe sought for corporation in the fight against fire disasters and urged them to adhere strictly to safety precautions by not dispensing fuel in polythene bags, selling to vehicle while in motion and by preventing a cluster of motorists around the dispensing pumps so as to avoid scuttle that could spark off fire.
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