The Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Mr Rasak Fadipe, said on Sunday that the service had responded to 1,537 fire incidences out of the 2,015 emergency cases reported to it in 2013.

Fadipe told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the service saved about N165 billion worth of property in the process.

According to him, the emergency cases included those of collapsed buildings, accidents, people trapped in lifts and those that fell into pits and wells.

“We also had 372 false calls from members of the public during the period.

“We had 312 cases of fire; the highest of such incidence was in January 2013, followed by 194 in March and 193 in December,’’ Fadipe said.

The director blamed most of the fire incidences to power surge, which he attributed to unprofessional technical works.

He said the agency had discovered that most residents engaged the services of untrained persons in installing electrical appliances which were mostly sub-standard.

“Apart from sub-standard electrical products, over loading of appliances resulted in cases of fire outbreaks.

“When people carryout renovation in buildings, they must include all the electrical facilities in the renovation of such buildings.

“People should always switch off electrical appliances when leaving their offices or when not in use at home.

“Illegal connection to electricity can also cause fire outbreaks. Lagos Island has the highest recorded cases of fire through illegal electricity installation.Such practice should be discouraged.

“Members of the public should report illegal installation or else they would share from the problem, when fire occurs,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, the director has expressed worries over recent incidences of fire caused by fuel laden tankers in the state, urging the government to check the trend.

He said that the service had responded to at least four of such cases in the last one week, including the Jan. 8 incident at Olodi-Apapa that resulted in the death of no fewer than 10 persons and destruction of property. (NAN)

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2014-01-12