Osun State Fire Service says property worth N15,308,651,017 were lost to fire outbreaks in the state between January and December 2024.
The losses were recorded in the state fire service annual ‘fire incident record’ which was obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Oshogbo.
According to the data, 103 fire outbreak calls were received by the state fire service in the year under review, with additional 16 non-fire related calls also attended to.
The data also reflected that the majority of the fire outbreaks took place in February and December, where 20 fire outbreaks, each, were recorded.
The highest property loss was, however, recorded in December, with N12.580 billion property lost to fire outbreaks, followed by the month of May where property worth N1.249 billion were destroyed during five recorded fire incidents.
According to the data, seven persons died from the fire incidents, with one death recorded in the month of September and six others in December.
Speaking on the data, the Osun Fire Service Spokesperson, Mr Adekunle Ibrahim attributed majority of the fire outbreaks to people’s “carelessness”.
He said, “the careless ways people deal with electronics and electrical appliances at home and how they also handle naked fire often serve as catalyst for fire outbreaks.”
He said the state fire service had often sensitised residents, market women, religious bodies, banks, business owners and others on prevention and management of fire outbreaks.
“We have been sensitising the people and enlightening them to be very careful about how to handle naked fires, steps to take in cases of fire outbreaks, and the need to properly take care of electrical appliances to prevent fire outbreaks,” he said.
Ibrahim said they intensified fire safety awareness in the state just as they have gone round to train hoteliers and others on fire safety and prevention methods.
“We have also been going round banks in the state to inspect their fire safety equipment and also enlighten them on what to do in cases of fire outbreaks,” he said.
He advised residents to always unplug their electrical appliances when not in use and always turn off their electricity when leaving their homes.
He advised people to be mindful of bush burning, especially in the dry season.
He also cautioned residents to be careful on how they handle naked fire in the kitchen, saying majority of domestic fire outbreaks usually starts from the kitchen.
