Lagos Fire Service records 1,135 fire calls in 9 months

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service recorded 1,135 fire calls out of 1,324 incidents attended to between January and September.

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The service’s spokesperson, Mrs Maria Fadairo, disclosed this in its Third Quarter Activity Report released on Thursday, urging residents to heighten fire-safety consciousness as the dry season set in.

Fadairo said the statistics underscored the need for residents, businesses, institutions and other stakeholders to adopt proactive measures to prevent fire outbreaks.

According to her, the 1,324 incidents comprised 1,135 fire calls, 79 rescue calls, 100 salvage operations, nine collapsed-building incidents and one gas-related explosion.

She said 210 victims were rescued alive during the period, while 65 suspected fatalities were recovered in the course of emergency operations.

Fadairo added that the service recorded 341 false emergency calls, warning that such calls could delay firefighters from responding to genuine emergencies.

She urged residents to avoid indiscriminate burning, properly handle and store flammable materials, switch off and unplug electrical appliances when not in use and avoid overloading electrical sockets.

The spokesperson also advised residents to maintain functional fire extinguishers and keep escape routes and access points clear to facilitate quick evacuation and emergency response.

On property protection, Fadairo said property worth N79.44 billion was saved, while losses were estimated at N13.24 billion, bringing the total estimated value of property affected to N92.68 billion.

“January recorded the highest number of incidents with 203, followed by March with 201, while September recorded the lowest with 94.

“For fire calls, March recorded the highest with 176, followed by January with 173, while September recorded the lowest with 80,” she said.

Fadairo encouraged residents to report fire incidents promptly and cooperate with emergency responders at incident scenes.

She reaffirmed the service’s commitment to protecting lives and property through prompt emergency response, fire prevention, public enlightenment, enforcement of fire-safety standards and community engagement.

The image maker urged residents to make fire safety a shared responsibility, stressing that prevention remained the most effective way to reduce the impact of fire emergencies.