Ekiti State recorded 15 cases of fire disasters within the first eight days of the new year 2018.
The State Commissioner for Public Utility, Chief Tunde Ogunleye who made this known in Ado Ekiti, listed the incidents to include the Government College, Efon Alaaye, Oja Olope, and Housing Estate under construction beside the NNPC Mega Filling Station along Iworoko road as well as the Government House among others.
Noting that the harmattan period is known to support fire outbreaks, Chief Ogunleye cautioned residents of the State to avoid acts that may lead to bush and domestic fire accidents.
The Commissioner stressed that people in the State must refrain from bush burning and storing inflammable substances such as Petrol at home to prevent avoidable fire disasters that could lead to loss of lives and Property.
He also warned against allowing under age children to handle fire, emphasizing that gas cookers, stoves and fire woods should be properly extinguished after cooking while motorists and automobile mechanics should have functional fire extinguishers in their vehicles and workshops.
The commissioner highlighted other common causes of fire to include careless smoking and faulty electrical wiring.
Assuring that the State Government would not relent efforts at safeguarding lives and property in the State, Ogunleye said the state fire services responded to 125 emergency calls in 2017 and saved 19 lives and property worth about N3.282billion adding that unfortunately nine lives and property valued at N105.23million were lost during the same period.
He solicited the support of all stakeholders in the efforts to protect lives and property in the state, stressing that simple habits of switching off electrical appliances when not in use as well as handling inflammable materials withy care would go a long way in preventing fire disasters.
He gave the emergency line of the state fire services as 08035785164 and 07069582302.
Packaged by Temitope Eluyefa
