By Babatunde Ayedoju

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Fire incident, no doubt, is one of the disasters that befall human societies everywhere. It can be both natural or man-made, depending on the cause.

Just like every other human society, Nigeria has had its fair share of fire outbreaks. According to the Controller General of Federal Fire Service, Engineer Abdulganiyu Jaji, no fewer than 100 persons were killed and property worth N67.1 billion destroyed across Nigeria in 2024, while the fire service saved 30,809 lives, alongside property worth N1.94 trillion.

Jaji made this disclosure at the beginning of this year while briefing journalists in Abuja about the activities of his agency in 2024. He identified cases of fire outbreaks across the country such as petrol tanker explosions, markets, religious centres, fuel stations, private, public property, and other major emergencies.

His words: “You may be aware that these devastating occurrences could have been prevented. This is deeply heartbreaking for us as an agency. Currently, we are in the dry season when humidity is low and the risk of static spark or gas explosion can spread rapidly. Fire is a delicate and dynamic force that requires us to be more cautious and vigilant. At this point, I implore all operators of fuel stations, petrol tankers, gas refilling stations, gas cylinders consumers, and the general public to follow safety protocols and regulations.”

It would be recalled that in recent times, Nigeria has also recorded cases of tanker explosion which claimed more than a few lives. All these point to the fact that the issue of fire disaster is one that must not be handled with levity at all.

Mr Victor Abayomi Oshin, the Public Relations Officer, Federal Fire Service, Ondo State, identified the three causes of fire as carelessness, arson and artificial occurrence. He said that the most prominent among them is carelessness which he defined as people knowing the right thing to do but refusing to do it.

He cited an instance of carelessness such as people scooping fuel from fallen petrol tankers, saying, “when a tanker falls, instead of running away, some people will go there to scoop fuel, not considering the fact that it is dangerous. Fire from fuel explosion travels fast and people lose their lives through that.”

While stating that government had done a lot of awareness to dissuade people from this dangerous act, the fire service spokesperson said that poverty and some other factors make them to ignore all the warnings.

Oshin also cited instances of carelessness at home whereby people fail to switch off their electrical appliances when going out and equally leave their gas cylinders unattended to.

His words: “At home, some people forget that they ought to switch off the lights and every electrical appliance. That is because when light comes at a high voltage, it can lead to power surge, and ultimately a fire disaster.

“Similarly, some fail to lock their gas cylinders properly after cooking and go out. Some even leave it unattended to and go to the sitting room to watch television. All these are risk factors for fire disaster.”

Buttressing the issue of carelessness, Oshin said that a lot of people refuse to buy safety equipment in their homes and vehicles, claiming that there can never be a fire accident. He lamented that even individuals who can afford to buy vehicles worth millions of naira fail to purchase fire safety equipment that cost far less than the amount they bought their vehicles.

According to him, such people end up dodging law enforcement agents, so that they will not be queried or sanctioned.

Talking about the way forward, he said, “we go around to sensitise people on fire safety. Likewise, there is a bill currently before the National Assembly that will widen the powers of the Federal Fire Service. Currently, our role is advisory, but with that bill being passed into law, we will be able to arrest and prosecute defaulters.”

Mr Ogbonnaya Okorie, a health and safety professional, shared a similar opinion, as he also blamed fire incidents on carelessness. He said that most vehicle owners do not have fire extinguishers, and even some that seem to have are merely trying to avoid being questioned by law enforcement officers, as the fire extinguishers are empty.

“It is only when a fire occurs that they will begin to regret their carelessness. They forget that law enforcement agencies are out to save lives and every policy or law that they make is in the interest of the populace,” he added.

On the other hand, Okorie noted that the government has a share in the blame, saying, “sometimes when a fire accident occurs and people call the appropriate agency, it takes them hours to arrive, complaining about logistics. By the time they arrive, a lot of damage would have been done.

“One day I travelled and witnessed a fire outbreak in a market. I spent three hours in that market and the fire was burning throughout that time, with no help in sight.”

Talking about electrical appliances which are often blamed for fire outbreaks, Okorie suggests a switch to solar energy. He said, “now that solar power is available, why not switch to solar in our markets, instead of electricity? Since many cases of fire outbreak are attributed to electrical fault, solar energy is a good alternative, because what people need in those shops, most of the time, is light to see. Moreso, most of those traders can afford solar power supply.”

He, however, stressed that government needs to demonstrate strong political will in this regard, not minding the fact that they get tax from electricity distributors.

While pointing out that bad roads lead to accident that cause fire, he added that government should endeavour to fix bad roads across the country.

Mr Kayode Adekanye, an Akure-based fuel marketer, attributed fire outbreaks to ignorance, citing the act of scooping fuel from fallen petrol tankers as the most common display of such ignorance. He recommended that government should continue to sensitise the public on the dangers of careless human activities that lead to fire outbreak.

“In my filling station, we organise training for our staff regularly on how to prevent fire and what to do when a fire outbreak occurs,” he added.

A gas retailer who craved anonymity equally identified negligence, electrical faults and poor maintenance culture as risk factors for fire outbreak. He recommended public enlightenment and legislation as the way out.