By Uchenna Ugwu
Abakaliki – The Ebonyi Fire Service said it recorded 96 fire incidents between January and December 2019 while six other occurrences were also recorded in January 2020.
The Director of the service, Mr Raphael Eseni made this known on Tuesday in Abakaliki, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on emergency responses during the festive periods.
According to Eseni, the incidents are caused by bush burning and electricity faults which destroyed property worth millions when estimated.
“We had 96 fire calls in 2019 and 6 other fire incidents between January 1 and 6, 2020,” Eseni said.
“The Fire incidents affected residential storey buildings and a church which were caused by bush fire and transformer fault.
He cautioned the general public to take safety tips seriously such as procuring fire extinguishers, clearing of bushes around their homes and avoid cooking with gas cylinders inside their kitchens because the extreme weather condition triggered fire.
The fire official said other measures included prompt fire calls and switching off electricity appliances in offices and homes when not in use.
He lamented attacks on firefighters in the state in some areas during their response operations.
He noted that surveillance had commenced to clamp down on illegal gas plants by roadside operators in the state to ensure compliance and avoid hazards associated with gas and to control possible fire outbreaks.
(NAN)