The Bauchi State Fire Service says five lives and property worth N801.2 million were lost to fire disasters in the state in 2019.
Alhaji Abubakar Bala, the Public Relations’ Officer of the service disclosed this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Monday in Bauchi.
Bala said that the service also saved 47 lives and property worth N1.68 billion during the period.
He said that the service received 289 distressed calls during the period and promptly responded to all of them.
“Most of the cases involved residential buildings, workshops, shops, hotels, petrol stations, vehicles and markets,” he said, and attributed the incidents to electrical faults, poor handling of electrical appliances and misuse of gas cookers.
Bala recalled that the service in 2018 saved 217 lives and property worth N1.03 billion while six lives and property worth N355.53 million were lost to various incidents during the period.
He called for the establishment of more fire fighting substations in Bauchi metropolis due to rising population.
“The three new fire fighting vehicles and two water tanks provided by the immediate past administration in the state for effective service delivery fall short of our needs.
“We are asking the present administration to provide us with more equipment and to employ more fire fighters to enable us excel,” he said.
(NAN)
