Fire, fire everywhere…

The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), penultimate Wednesday in Kano, said the Kanti Kwari fire incident was caused by lack of an effective security arrangement. In a paper presented to the Kano State government, the NSE, Kano State branch chairman, Engr E. E. Rabiu, said there were no fire hydrants and water to contain the […]

The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), penultimate Wednesday in Kano, said the Kanti Kwari fire incident was caused by lack of an effective security arrangement. In a paper presented to the Kano State government, the NSE, Kano State branch chairman, Engr E. E. Rabiu, said there were no fire hydrants and water to contain the fire. And one recurring decimal in most fire incidents in Nigeria is power surge.

Lagos

It was hell in Lagos on Tuesday May 25, 2010, when 20 petrol tankers suddenly went up in flames at Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Park at Doyin, Orile-Iganmu, Lagos.

The incident which lasted over six hours, paralyzed business activities in the area leading to a huge loss.

The fire, as one account has it, was caused by the carelessness of a welder who was not initiated to work where did.

The welder was brought into the parking terminal by a petrol tanker driver to fix his truck. Unknown to the welder, a petrol tanker fully loaded with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) was stationed very close to the truck he was working on. It was this loaded tanker that suddenly exploded causing the massive fire.

Another report has it that the inferno was caused by activities of loafers, popularly called “Area Boys”. The “Area Boys” were said to be mixing oil and kerosene in the park and at the same time, smoking indian hemp. Sources said a tanker was trans-loading diesel when it caught fire from one of the indian hemp smokers.

On May 4, 2010, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Legal Department in Lagos had its vital documents destroyed by a mid-day fire.

It was said a number of high-profile cases being prosecuted by the EFCC in various courts in Lagos might be in jeopardy as the fire gutted three offices in the legal department of the commission’s office that Tuesday.

The fire which happened between 11:00am and noon at the agency’s 15 Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, premises, destroyed important files, computers, airconditioners, tables, chairs and equipment in three offices.

The files contained crucial information on various high-profile cases being handled by the anti-graft body.

Here too, the fire was said to have been caused by a spark in an air-conditioner in the legal department. The timely intervention of the Federal Fire Servce, Ikoyi prevented further spread of the fire.

Kano

Before the above incident, over 500 shops were consumed on 12th March 12, 2010, by an early morning fire at the famous Kantin Kwari textile market in Kano, resulting in the loss of over N1 billion. Many traders fainted having witnessed what was described as the worst fire in the history of the market. Someone who was on a mission to put out the fire, lost his life in the process. Reports indicated that the fire started from the makeshift shops around the market and quickly spread into the market. Officials said the inferno started after a power surge. Fire fighters experienced difficulty getting into the market to put out the fire.

On April 24, 2010, a similar night fire destroyed thousands of shops in the Kurmi Market, the oldest market in the same ancient city of Kano. Kurmi market has been in existence since the 16th century.

The fire started few minutes to 1:00am and consumed a large portion of the market’s spice shops before it was put off by officials of the Kano State Fire Service. The cause of the fire is still not established.

Katsina

Less than a month after the above incidents, another mishap was reported in neighbouring Katsina State. Fire razed the Katsina timber market and destroyed property worth millions of naira on April 8.

More than 24 shops and property worth N20 million were destroyed by the fire.

This time, the fire started at about 3:30am and lasted about four hours.

Again, it was said the inferno could have started from electrical sparks. It was put out by the combined efforts of the state fire service, policemen and the public.

Items destroyed included: cartons of vegetable oil, kerosene, grinding machines, electronic gadgets, vegetables and provisions.

About 120 traders affected by the incident are urging the Federal Government, the Katsina State Government and the Funtua Local Government to assist them.

Nsukka

Shortly after this, Enugu State contributed its quota to the national chaos when a section of the University of Nigeria (UNN), Nsukka Continuous Education Centre (CEC), housing the Council Chamber was gutted by fire.

The fire that started in the early hours of that Saturday, destroyed vital documents and equipment worth millions of naira.

It started at about 4:00am from a cyber café where students were doing an overnight browsing. Instead of raising alarm for people to come and assist put out the fire, the night browsers sneaked out of the place.

Expert’s assessment

UK-trained fire expert, Mr Sam ‘O’ Ayadi, who is the Managing Director of Sagif Ventures Limited described the Lagos fire incident as quite devastating. He said although all over the world, fire incidents do occur, the frequency and the consistency with which it occurs in Nigeria is baffling.

He said it is important for Nigerians to imbibe fire safety culture in workplaces and in homes.  He stressed the need for all to take note of things that potentially cause fire.

Ayadi asked rhetorically, “Tanker drivers know their products. But what do they do with it? Are these drivers really approved drivers? Do they have good driving culture? Have they approved driver’s licence? Do they have good road knowledge? Do they understand the road signs? Do they have good rest before getting on the steering? Do they use mobile phones? For the takers, are these trucks in good working condition? If they are not, what are the owners doing about them?”

He said as Nigeria continues to have these fire safety issues, it means government has to do more, pointing out instances where the tankers are parked somewhere and an on coming vehicle rams into them resulting in instantaneous sparks. He called on all to develop good fire safety culture in everything they do.

“Another thing is to set out time for these tanker drivers to move. It is important for the tanker drivers to have a movement time. For instance, at night when the roads are not so busy,” the fireman suggested.

He condemned situations where tankers pull up in front of people’s buildings saying these are potential dangers.

He called for a general training which should be need-assessed. He explained, “the tanker drivers need to be regularly trained—trained on good driving culture. They need training on how to respond to local emergencies. In their own domain, they need training that is safety specific to what they do. Both the tanker drivers and their owners should understand that the product they are carrying is highly inflammable and if it happens, what are the series of measures they need to take?

“Many times, I see petrol tanker driver’s attendant with huge wedge, when they are going up a hill and the tanker has the tendency to roll back, they will jump out of it and wedge the tires. Is that good enough for us? It is another potential danger,” the MD stated.

He advised that inflammable products’ storage tanks should be coated with passive fire prevention products.

He said in this century, it is no more fire fighting, stressing that what is in vogue in developed countries right now is passive fire prevention. “It is not so much about fighting fire but we can prevent fire – prevention is better than cure,” he added.

He argued that most of the fire incidents in Nigeria are preventable. “They are preventable if you know what to do,” he stated.

The recurring incidents of fire clearly point to the fact that government needs to support the fire service and disaster management agencies so they can live up to expectations. They need to be given what they want in terms of equipment and manpower, Ayadi noted.

He advised builders to always look for passive fire prevention products, saying there are coatings for the doors, fire retardant paints, fire barrier curtains which can effective hold fire from raging until it is completely put  off.

Apparently, fire accidents are a menace that cannot be completely avoided. There is no 100 percent safety anywhere but risk reduction is what Nigerians must learn. They should be taught this from their childhood.