Gombe Fire Service saves 426 lives, as fire razes N388m properties in 2019

News Agency Of Nigeria 12:03 - 04 April 2019

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An illustrative photo of fire incident that razed down no fewer than six shops in Asaba, the Delta state capital [leadership]

Malam Salihu Mahmoud, Deputy Operation Officer, Gombe State Fire Service, says 426 lives were saved while properties worth N388 million were lost to fire disasters in the first quarter of 2019 in the state.

Mahmoud disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Thursday.

He said that during the period under review, 107 incident calls were received by the service in which 23 persons recorded various degrees of injuries, but no life lost.

According to him, the ongoing reforms of the service and re-training of personnel have been helpful in ensuring that fire incidents were well managed to ensure that lives are not lost.

He also attributed the success of their operations to the wide acceptance of sensitisation programmes being carried out across the state to ensure that citizens were more conscious to any activities that could result to fire outbreaks.

While advising residents to make it a habit to check and repair faulty electrical appliances and switch them off when not in use.

Mahmoud who lauded the state government’s effort in recruiting more personnel to address the challenge of inadequate manpower, appealed for more equipment to improve on the gains of the service in the remaining quarters of 2019.

NAN recalls that the service had on Oct. 17, 2018, said seven lives and properties worth N88 million were lost to fire disasters between January and September of that year.