‘Don’t Hoard Petrol In Your House’- Official Advises As Fire Guts Two-Storey Building In Enugu

A two-storey building was Monday burnt in Enugu, THE WHISTLER gathered. The incident happened at Chiene Street, Achara Layout, Uwani, Enugu.

Although the entire building was not consumed by the inferno, property worth millions of naira was lost.

“The fire started in the morning, around 8am,” a resident said. “We don’t know the cause of the fire. But much was damaged.”

A resident of the area, Moses Eke, commended the quick intervention of the operatives of the Enugu State Fire Service which curtailed the spread of the fire.

He said, “They came timely, and rescued what would have been the worst calamity of the year. Many things were destroyed, but it could have been worse.”

A victim, who did not give his name, said she lost everything, but thanked God that no life was lost.

The official of the Enugu Fire Service team who led the rescue, Mr. Chukwuma Ugwuaneke, stated that his team responded swiftly on getting the distress call.

According to him, “We got a distress emergency call from residents of this area this morning, alerting us that there was a fire outbreak at number 7 Chiene Street.

“On receiving the call, we immediately mobilized our men and fire engines to the scene. And we thank God that we were able to control and extinguished the fire at the point we met it.”

Engr Okwudiri Ohaa, the state chief fire officer, told THE WHISTLER in an interview that, “I want to reiterate that we should always abide by fire protection rules. People should not hoard petroleum products in their houses.

“Also, it is imperative that we have fire extinguishers in our respective homes in case of emergencies. Then, we are getting into harmattan season. People should avoid bush burning, and also endeavour to clear their surroundings of bushes.

“We also beg road users to give our fire fighting trucks right of way when our operatives are embarking on rescue missions. Anytime you see our men, there must be an emergency.”