By Ikenna Asomba

Indeed, it has been three years of pains and anguish for some residents in Lagos State, Nigeria’s commercial hub centre, as properties valued at over N54 billion had been lost to fire accidents.

Statistics from the Lagos State Fire and Safety Services show the losses were higher in 2012 compared to 2013 and 2014.

According to the statistics, 2, 342 fire cases occurred in 2012, most of them in residential buildings.

In 2013, the statistics showed that a total of 1,774 fire outbreaks occurred. The fire service acknowledged there were massive losses to fire in the year, claiming the losses were difficult to quantify.

In 2014, the value of goods lost to fire in the state was put at N14.99 billion in about 1,499 fire cases recorded between January and November.

Except tight measures are put in place, there are indications that more losses are likely in 2015 going by the number of fire outbreaks already recorded in the state.

20 fire incidents

Between January 1 and as at the time of filing this report, no fewer than 20 fire incidents have occurred in the state with losses estimated at billions of naira including several lives.

Among the affected areas are the Balogun Market on Lagos Island, Oko Baba Sawmill in Ebute Meta, another in Igando area where four houses were razed recently, another at Ijaniki area where a building comprising six apartments was completely razed and an eight-month-old baby roasted to death.

Also, a 68-year-old man identified as Mr. Solomon Olukwumu lost his life in an inferno which gutted the rooms of his 3-bedroom apartment located at 21/23 Idowu Rafiu Street, in Aboru part of Lagos, while other members of his family went to church.

Other fire incidents occurred at Ikoyi, Iba Housing Estate, Isolo, Iju Shaga, Ijora, Ojodu Berger, and Amukoko areas of Lagos, where some families were rendered homeless.

Among the affected buildings was that located in Alaba area of Lagos, where 16 families were rendered homeless, even as a mechanic workshop in Ebutte-Metta area was gutted by fire, destroying over 45 vehicles which were under repair the same day.

On Thursday, January 15, Lagos recorded another inferno when in two different incidents, a warehouse containing goods worth millions of naira at Mosheshe Industrial Estate, Kirikiri, Apapa and a mechanic workshop with about 17 vehicles, were gutted by fire at Iwaya, Yaba.

When the anguish of what struck residents of Kirikiri and Iwaya was yet to die down, another inferno on Friday, January 16, destroyed goods and property worth millions of Naira, at the popular Berlin Market, near Mandilas on Williams Street, off Marina in central Lagos.

Boosting fire operations

In a bid to boost fire fighting operations in the state, Mr. Rasaq Fadipe, the Director, Lagos State Fire Service, in a press conference hinted that the state government had installed 50 new fire hydrants, adding that the 350 existing hydrants were being reactivated.

He said: “We have completed the installation of the 50 new ones and out of the 350 old ones, 250 had been reactivated so far. The old hydrants were installed underground, but we are now bringing them out to prevent low water pressure when drawing water from them,” he said.

Listing places where the hydrants were located, Fadipe said “they include Opebi/Allen Avenue, Governor’s Road, Alausa, Secretariat, Awolowo Road and Isaac John Street, Ikeja GRA, Demurin Street, Alapere; Ajiboye Estate, Fadiya Street and Ogunshowobo Street, Ketu, old Oko Oba, Alaramimu Street, Onike, Agege/Ipaja Road and Iyana Sachi Saw Mill.”

Similarly, in December 2014, Governor Babatunde Fashola, handed over 30 computerised fire trucks to the state fire service to enable it upgrade its operation. The equipment provided comprises twin aerial ladder and twin maintenance vans.

Branded as Fire Eagles, the state-of-the-art vans was said to move faster than the ones presently at the disposal of the state fire service and can better navigate difficult terrains and roads.

The acquisition of these state-of-the-art trucks, which come with spare parts, is believed to have cost the state government billions of Naira.

Already some fire officers are said to have been sent for training to get acquainted with the usage of the new fire fighting system.

Before the arrival of these modern trucks, the existing equipment had become almost obsolete as most of the trucks can only carry 10,000 litres of water.

New fire trucks

But the new fire trucks come with Compressed Air foam System CAS and water built to the fire fighters’ specification.

In addition, it is attached to a computerised detection maintenance van.

However, despite the presence of these fire hydrants, fire outbreaks have continued to wreak havoc in Lagos, since the resurgence of the biting harmattan season in Lagos.

Worried by the recent incidences of fire outbreaks in the state, the Fire service boss attributed nearly all of the fire outbreaks to human error, saying, “It is not harmattan that causes fire, but human error. Harmattan causes the fire to spread faster because of the dry wind.”