The fury of Fire: Nigerians lose millions to January harmattan fire

Emeka Ibemere chronicles the rage of fire that ravages the nation since beginning of the year.

It was agony, pain and sorrows as traders, workers and businessmen count losses on Monday, January 12 2014, when goods worth millions of naira went up in flames as fire razes down five-storey buildings at Balogun Market, Lagos Island, and South West Nigeria.

Traders whose goods were affected were seen crying and were in mournful mood as they count their losses, while others were also seen trying to sympathise with them.

The popular Balogun Market on the Lagos Island, witnessed a first-time fire out break for the New Year as early morning fire, which started at about 4 a.m. affected about five buildings. But it took place without casualty.

Superintendent Olarenwaju Smith of the Ebute-Ero Police Division attributed the incident to power surge.

“Considering the weather, the fire service men are doing their best to put out the fire. We are equally here to protect lives and property. “The way shops are built here makes it difficult for both the police and fire service officers to have access to the affected buildings”, he added.

“No death or casualty has been recorded so far. We were told that the cause of the fire was an electrical spark from a transformer which later spread to an electricity generator,’’ the police officer said.

Mr Pascal Olokungboye, Chief Fire Officer, Lagos State Government Fire Service, said that fire fighters from the state arrived at the scene few minutes after a distress call was made to their station.

“We received a distress call around 4 a.m. and immediately we rushed down to the scene. We have exhausted two tankers with capacity of 10, 000 litters of water and we have also called for backup from our stations as the water is not enough”.

Olokungboye also thanked God that there was no casualty in the incident. Mr Boniface Okeke, one of the traders, said that two of his warehouses were razed, and that he lost goods worth over N5 million.

“I was brushing my teeth this morning in preparation to come to the market when I received a call that my shops are on fire. Can’t you see how the fire is raging on, all my goods are destroyed. All that I have laboured for is gone,’’ the sobbing trader said.

Another trader, Mrs Tinu Kilani, who was in tears while speaking to newsmen, said all her shops and the goods had been destroyed by the fire.

“I cannot even estimate the amount of goods I have in there and now everything is gone,’’ she said. Mr Johnson Ebere, who also had a shop at the market, said his shop was also affected.

“I sell shoes, slippers and sandals and everything has been destroyed by the fire,’’ he said.

 Roselyn Edeigba, one of the shop owners, said that her warehouse worth more than N6million was destroyed. This is not the first time fire is ravaging Lagos Island. Five persons were injured when fire gutted the third floor of a three-storey building on Lagos Island on December 23, 2012.

Fifteen rooms on the floor were destroyed with properties worth thousands of naira. The incident occurred at 9 and 7A Obadina Street, Off Ali Street, Lagos Island, southwest Nigeria.

Though no life was lost during the fire, but about five residents reportedly sustained injuries in their attempt to escape from the inferno.

The landlord of the building warned tenants not to speak with Newsmen but one of the tenants said that the fire started from an apartment on the third floor of the building.

It was gathered that the tenant using the room was not around when the fire started. The tenant said he did not know the cause of the fire, but suspected an electrical spark inside the room. A witness said before the residents could force the door open, the air conditioning unit and the gas cylinder of a refrigerator in the room exploded.

Several household items, including refrigerators, televisions, air condition, chairs, beds and mattresses were burn to ashes.

“We contacted the firemen at the nearby Moloney Street at, Lagos Island, but they said they don’t have any vehicle and those at Eti-Osa said they have no water”, another tenant stated.

If you think that Balogun Market was the only place fire had touched this year, then read Ebute Meta fire incident.

Also on Monday, 12 January, around Oko Baba in the Ebute Meta area, a 25 year old man was said to have been burnt to death as many shanties and structures were destroyed in a midnight fire.

The same Monday, Lagos State Fire Service men were busy trying to put fire out in the Igando and Ojo areas of the state. On Saturday before Monday 12, at least five persons were reportedly injured in a fire outbreak at a filling station in Okitipupa, headquarters of Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo state.

The incident which happened at about 9.30 p.m was said to have been caused by a petroleum tanker which caught fire shortly after discharging Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise known as petrol.

The filling station located at the Roundabout area of the town was completely razed by the fire, while three residential buildings located close to it were also razed down.

According to eye witness, the driver of the tanker simply identified as Solomon, was reportedly burnt beyond recognition, while a Toyota car was burnt into ashes. It was reported that officials of the State Fire Service failed to attend to distress calls put across to them by residents of the area, hence the much impact of the fire incident.

It was leant that Officials of the State Fire Service complained of lack of vehicles and water when they were approached. The victims of the inferno were said to be receiving treatment at Okitipupa Specialist Hospital.

Also, on Saturday, one of the frontline cinema operators in Nigeria, FilmHouse Cinemas, lost one of its business outlets in Ibadan, Oyo State, to a fire disaster which gutted the Heritage Mall, Dugbe, destroying property worth multiple millions of naira.

It was gathered that the inferno which started around midnight and raged for over five hours, gutted the cinema arm of the mall. All four screening rooms of the cinema, including the projector rooms, among other offices, were gutted by the fire. However, the cause of the fire is yet to the ascertained.

The four studios, estimated to be over N500million, were razed in the inferno which stated around 12.00 a.m.

According to Mr Victor Ayetoro, Corporate Affairs Manager of Oodua Group of Companies, owner of Heritage Mall, workers of the film house closed around 11.00 midnight on Friday and locked up the studios but around 12.00 a.m., security guards noticed the outbreak and tried to put out the fire, while at the same time they informed the Oyo State Fire Service.

The fire service units of neighbouring Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Sweet Limited, as that of well as Oodua Group, were said to have responded immediately. Ayetoro stated that the fire was put out around 4.00 a.m. preventing it from spreading to other parts of the mall.

Group Managing Director of Oodua Group, Mr Adewale Raji, while shedding light on the incident, said, “information available is that smoke was noticed at the section where we have the film house around 12.00 midnight by security personnel and some tenants who operate a night club.”

Eyewitnesses account said the disaster could have been averted or controlled if the fire servicemen had gained full access to the top floor where the cinema was located. Other residents however, blamed the officers for their lack of high rise building fire control training, which they said the firemen faced on arrival.

The CEO of FilmHouse Cinemas, Ken Mkparu, in a statement said, “FilmHouse Limited regrets to announce that operations have been put on hold for now.

“We do however assure our esteemed guests and customers that FilmHouse Dugbe would be operational as soon as possible. We want to thank the Fire Fighting Service, Management of Heritage Mall Ibadan as well as staff of FilmHouse Cinemas who all responded and were available to control the situation”.

Last Friday night, the fury of fire also ravaged parts of the popular motor parts section of Araromi-Agodi Gate market in Ibadan, capital city of Oyo State.

Items destroyed were welding machines, sewing machines, bolt cutters, grinding machines, factory equipment, electrical parts, aluminium rollers, welding cables and oxygen gauges. Also affected were generators, cold rooms’ materials and engines, food canteens and a mosque.

It was gathered that shop owners found it difficult to gain entrance to their shops due to the storing of the goods in most of the shops.

Though members of the State Fire Service eventually suppress the rampaging fire, which began was said to have started on Friday night around 9:30pm. Fire service men were also blamed for slow response to challenge the fire

As that wasn’t enough, a building at Osibowale layout in Challenge area of Ibadan, Oyo State, also went on flames on Saturday as sympathisers tried effortlessly to control the incident.

The fire started at about midday and burned for several hours, as youths from the community made efforts to control the fire.

Like other incidences, the cause of the fire was not readily known, as conflicting report accounts were given as reason for it.

According to residents of the area, the fire started through an electric gas explosion and spread through the length and breadth of the building.

One of the occupants of the building told journalists that the fire started from the visitors’ room which housed the electric control unit of the flat. He said that the cause of the fire was not confirmed, it might have been as result of high voltage which caused a spark. It was gathered that no life was lost in the incident.

It would be recalled that in 2013 to 2014, over 85 fire incidences were recorded. An early morning inferno razed a section of the palace of Oba Lamidi Olayiwola, burning the relics of the magnificent palace with its invaluable spiritual and historic artefacts during the rage.

The fire which was reportedly caused by an electric high-voltage on the wee hours of Wednesday January 9, 2013, affected 21 rooms in the magnificent palace. Some of the rooms affected were the ones occupied by Oba Adeyemi’s wives. Ile Ori and Ile Ifa, two rooms of cultural and spiritual significance were also burnt with all the artefacts in them completely lost in the inferno.

There was no loss of life but it was reported that three of the Alaafin’s queens lost all their valuables while the loss in terms of artefacts could not be ascertained as of the time of filing this report.

Reports say the conflagration raged on for about three hours and by the time it was subdued, it had caused a great damage.

 The headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was also affected in the rage of fire that has become a daily occurrence in the same January.

The fire started around 9.00am in the morning of Monday January 7, 2013 and affected offices in the Voter Registration Department. According to the INEC Director of Information Technology, the Fire incident was as a result of an electrical fault.

INEC fire fury lasted for thirty minutes as quick intervention of the men of the Fire Service and the National Emergency Management Agency who were on hand, helped in putting the fire under control.

According to INEC’s Director of Information Technology, Engineer Chidi Nwafor, none of the Commission’s vital documents was destroyed. He stated that only office equipment was damaged by the fire.

It was also reported that an explosion occurred around the Tin Can Island Port axis of Lagos state on December 23, 2013.

According to a witness the explosion occurred at MRS Depot Tin- Can, as serious of Vibrations is felt around Wharf Apapa and Wilmer in Olodi Apapa area.

NEMA confirmed that a ship caught fire after exploding at the Tin Can Island Port in Apapa area of Lagos. It was gathered that the vessel burnt at the Island causing businesses in the area to be closed shop to avoid causalities as fire fighters battle the fire.

The cause of the explosion was suspected to be caused by flammable gases or chemicals given that Petroleum products are stored in the depot.

As that was not enough, fire on Friday January 7 destroyed counterfeit products in the warehouse of Nigeria’s National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Lagos.

In another development, the Lagos office of Xerox Digital Press located at 12, Fatai Atere Way, Papa Ajao, Mushin, Lagos State, and Southwest Nigeria was also gutted by fire and properties worth millions of naira destroyed. A source said that the fire started around 1am and lasted till 9am.

The source said the fire started from the warehouse section, adding that various machines and other goods were destroyed. Fire fighting men were practically seen trying to put off the fire as at the time of filing this report.

On Monday April 29, 2013, Federal Fire Service, said it saved property worth N19.54 billion from various fire incidents, which ravaged parts of the country in 2012.

Statistics released by the fire service in Abuja indicated that property valued at N5.95 billion were lost to the fire incidents during the period. The statistics showed that 185 lives were lost in 470 fire incidents in 2012.

The information indicated that the oil and gas sector recorded the highest number of fire incidents with 168 lives lost in 164 fire incidents in 2012.

It also revealed that private residences recorded 96 fire incidents that claimed eight lives, while 10 lives were saved in the fire incidents in the year 2012.

The statistics further showed that there were 56 fire outbreaks in public buildings and government quarters that claimed six lives, while 10 persons were saved.

The Controller-General of the Federal Fire Service, Olusegun Okebiorun, had at a news briefing to mark the 2012 Fire Service Remembrance Day, pledged to step up efforts to reduce fire outbreaks in the country.

Mr. Okebiorun said that the service was determined to reduce fire incidents through public awareness campaigns in schools, markets, and other places.

He expressed optimism that the National Fire Code would help in reducing fire outbreaks in the country. The controller-general expressed the determination of the service to promptly respond to emergencies and urged members of the public to contact it during emergencies.