How Firefighters Battled Four-Hour Blaze Linked To NBTI Office At Head Of Service

The Federal Fire Service (FFS) has explained how its gallant firefighters battled for nearly four hours to contain a fire outbreak linked to an office of the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) at the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation in the Federal Secretariat Complex, Abuja.

The Service disclosed that the incident, which occurred on Monday morning, posed serious operational challenges to emergency responders due to thick smoke, intense heat and repeated re-ignition within the affected section of the building.

Details of the firefighting operation were contained in a statement shared on the official Facebook page of the Federal Fire Service (FFS) and signed by the service spokesperson, deputy controller of Fire (DCF) Abraham Olobi.

According to the service Facebook post, its control room received a distress call at about 8:19 a.m. reporting a fire outbreak at the complex. Abraham Olobi added that the Controller-General of the Federal Fire Service , Olumode Samuel Adeyemi, personally supervised the firefighting operation, coordinating emergency teams and monitoring efforts throughout the nearly four-hour battle to contain the blaze.

“Our preliminary reports indicated that the fire originated from the office of the permanent secretary of the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) located in Section C of the Federal Secretariat Complex. The post explained.

According to Olobi, the first responders to the scene were firefighters from the Special Squad of the Federal Fire Service headquarters, led by SF Chime, who immediately commenced efforts to contain the blaze.

They explained that “As the intensity of the fire increased, additional firefighting teams were deployed from the Wuse Fire Station, the National Assembly Fire Station and the Secretariat Fire Station of the Federal Fire Service to reinforce the initial response.”

The statement added that the operation also drew support from other emergency response agencies including the FCT Fire Service, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Nigeria Police.

The statement further explained that the firefighting operation was particularly difficult as thick smoke significantly reduced visibility inside the affected section of the building, forcing firefighters to deploy breathing apparatus while tackling the flames.

It further revealed that several compartments within the building had to be handled carefully as trapped flammable materials caused repeated re-ignition of the fire, while intense heat radiation complicated efforts to suppress the blaze.

It however stared that despite the challenges, coordinated efforts by firefighters and other emergency responders eventually brought the fire under total control after nearly four hours of sustained operations, preventing the flames from spreading to other sections of the complex.

Earlier, reacting to the incident, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, described the incident as a wake-up call for improved safety measures at the Federal Secretariat Complex.

She disclosed that her office is currently working on a safety protocol for the use of the complex, adding that the incident has further underscored the need to fast-track its completion and implementation.

Walson-Jack also commended firefighters and other emergency responders for their courage, professionalism and dedication in successfully containing the blaze.

This is even as the Federal Fire Service reassured Nigerians of its continued commitment to protecting lives, property and critical national infrastructure through prompt emergency response and effective fire safety management.