The Fury of Fire

Emeka Ibemere chronicles the rage of fire that befall the nation last year; affecting both the rich and the poor.

 It was the least place to ever think it would take place­- the Palace of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III.


But it happened twenty four hours after fire razed down the Headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission. 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.Alaafin Adeyemi’s Media Assistant, Azeez Fehintola disclosed that the fire started around 6am.
 Daily Signpost gathered that the monarch’s wives were greatly affected as they lost virtually all their valuables into the fire.
Fehintola disclosed that the extent of the damage was immeasurable
“The extent of damage by the fire goes beyond my imagination. Immediately I got here and saw the extent of the damage done to the Palace by this early morning conflagration, I could not but break down into tears. The fire, which broke out from electrical surge, started around 6am and was contained after about three hours. The fire-fighters came at some minutes past seven and battled it till it was finally put out. Every part of the affected apartments was completely razed. It was a really sad day for the Ayabas,(the king’s wives) who were in sober mood because many of their property were destroyed. They keep their monies in the palace. Plasma television, jewellery, clothes, bags and many other valuables yet to be ascertained were destroyed”, he stated.
According to the Zonal Commandant of the Oyo branch of the Fire Service, Mr. Munirudeen Olalekan, his office was called at 6.47 am and the staff immediately went to the palace with a full water load of tanker, but it was soon exhausted because the extent of the fire was massive.
“We had to go for another tanker-load. And with the assistance of people around, we were able to contain it”.
Reacting during a sympathy visit to the monarch, Governor Abiola Ajimobi lamented the fire incident saying that it destroyed artefacts, ornaments and traditional relics of the people of Yorubaland.
His words, “it is in our own definition a disaster, more so, having gone round the whole palace on inspection of the damage. The fire touched virtually everywhere and it was very devastating. It consumed virtually everything, including traditional attires, ornaments”.
While charging fire fighters to be more dedicated and effective in their operations, Governor Ajimobi said the effect could have been minimized if urgent attention had been brought to the raging fire noting: “The lesson here is that, one; our fire support services should be more efficient. Second, the reactions of the Kabiyesi and the entire family were very commendable and immediate. That they were able to put out the fire is commendable”.
The governor said that from the assessment he had carried out on the burnt palace, the damage to the palace was irreparable and colossal.
Ajimobi however promised to assist the monarch in the reconstruction of the palace, stating that as a foremost traditional ruler and a great friend of the administration, government could not but support the Kabiyesi because in doing so, government was supporting Yorubaland.
“As a government, we are going to support the Kabiyesi and the Kabiyesi, as you know, has been at the forefront of support for the present administration,” the governor said.

Aside the Palace inferno, former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, on January 3rd, 2013 said he escaped death by whiskers when his Ota farmer mansion suffered a fire disaster that could have turned ugly, if not for the vigilance of his domestic aides, fire fighters and sympathizers who thronged his hilltop mansion in Ibara GRA, Abeokuta Ogun State to assist in putting out the fire that already gutted his secretary’s office in the sprawling estate.
Addressing journalists who were present at the house, the former President in Yoruba language, jokingly used a local adage that the King’s house that burns will only be beautified.

“Go, go and sing to the whole world that ‘the King’s house that is gutted by fire only beautifies the house,” the former president cheerfully said.

 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 last two months in Nigeria.

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.

Head of Abuja Operation Office of the National emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ishaya Chonoko confirmed the firebreak that gutted an office in the Annex Building of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Abuja.

“The timely response of rescue officers especially fire-fighters from the Federal and FCT Fire Service served the situation from affecting other buildings within the premises,” NEMA said.

So far only an (one) office (Office of the Director of Registry) was affected. There was no record of casualty because of the swift response to the distress call. The INEC Office is behind the Office of the National Emergency Management Agency in Maitama Abuja.

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.
Mr Abubakar Jimoh, the Deputy Director, Public Relations, confirmed the incident in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria. He said that the fire started around 7pm. at the warehouse where fake and counterfeit products are kept.
“It happened in the warehouse where we keep fake and counterfeit products,’’ Jimoh said. He said the fire might have been caused by an electrical fault as was the case in an earlier incident. “As I speak with you, we are trying to overhaul the entire electrical system in the office,’’ Jimoh said.
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.
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.

Wednesday, 21 November, 2012, the fire that razed the foremost Nigerian Magazine, TheNews and PMNews corporate headquarters on 27 Acme Road, Agidingbi, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, started like every other fire incidents.

It was reported that a reporter raced into the newsroom around 7 p.m shouting that he could smell a cable burning inside the building.

Immediately, the security guards ran inside and tried to locate where the smell was coming from. They tried to cut off the electricity supply to the two floors but that the burning smell continued.  Thirty minutes after, a glow was sighted by the window of the third floor from the outside. That was how the fire ravaged the building.

By the time the inferno was noticed, shards of glass had started flying out of the windows but it was too late to contain the rampaging fire. Those who saw the brazen fire said it was not what they bargained for.

The Group Senior Editor, Babajide Kolade-Otitoju, Production Editor, Mr. Akin Obasa, Deputy Editor, Lanre Babalola and others were trapped at the back of the building and had to scale the fence to escape to the nearby building.

“When we could not escape through the front of the building because of flying glass, we had to scale the fence and jump into the next building beside us,” recalled Tunde Adekeye, Assistant Production Editor.

Also giving an account of the incident, Kolade-Otitoju, speculated that the fire could have resulted from power surge from one of the offices on the third floor.

“One of the cables started burning as a result of power surge and at that time, it was very minimal,” he said. According to him, the staff continued to work oblivious of the fact that the building was on fire.

“It was when I came out and saw that the fire was serious that we ran back into the newsroom and asked the people to leave and within minutes, the fire had spread and had become fierce.

“The floor is like one big hall partitioned into small offices and the stuff used to partition the offices was combustible. This aided the spread of the fire. Within 30 minutes, half of that third floor had been razed.” he noted. According to statistics at the nation’s The Federal Fire Service (FFS), about 185 people died in 470 fire incidents recorded in Nigeria in 2012, while Property worth N19.54 billion was also saved from being razed off by fire.

On Monday April 29, 2013, FFS, 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 as against 262 lives lost in 368 fire incidents in 2011.

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 period under review.

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 2011 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. The statistics shown below: 69 killed in Abuja fire incidents in 2012.

Lagos Fire Service records 188 fire incidents in 2012 while 223 died in fire incidents in Rivers