7 Killed, N112m Property Destroyed In Bauchi Fire Outbreaks

Bauchi state Fire Service says seven lives were lost and property worth N112.5 million were destroyed by fire in the state between July and September, 2022.
The service also saved 46 lives and property worth N265.2 million in 66 fire incidents during the period under review.
Mr Abubakar Bala, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Service, stated this in fire incident statistics made available to newsmen, on Wednesday in Bauchi, adding that the data comprised domestic and industrial fire incidents.
He said the Service received 38 distress calls for ‘dwelling house’ fire incidents where N108 million worth of property were lost, N249.9 million others were saved and three lives were lost while 32 others were saved.
Bala said that the service also received 23 calls for ‘special service rescue’ where 14 lives were saved and another four were lost in the past three months.
He added that a distress call was also received for the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and Institution fire outbreak respectively.
“We received one distress call on a hotel fire incident where we were able to save N400,000 worth of property while an estimated N200,000 worth of property were lost in the process.
“We also received two distress calls on shop fire incidents and we were able to save N14.9 million worth of property while we lost other property worth N4.3 million during the period under review,” he said.
The spokesperson attributed most of the fire incidents in the state to careless use of cooking gas and inferior electrical appliances.
He advised the residents of the state to ensure the safekeeping of gas, chemicals and switch off electrical appliances when not in use to guard against fire outbreaks.

“Avoid the use of expired gas cylinders, ensure it is not leaking and desist from indiscriminate bush burning.

“Distance children from matches or lighter, avoid smoking in bed and ensure that you douse the filter in water before disposal so that it will not reignite,” he said.