Amid the incessant fire outbreaks in markets and other business centres, the Lagos State Government has called on market leaders to urgently place a ban on smoking, especially around sawmills and plank markets in the state.
Recall that the State Fire and Rescue Service recently disclosed that fire consumed properties worth over N17.49 billion between January and November 2024.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ sensitization coordination and community response on disaster programme organised by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), in Lagos, on Tuesday, the Chief Fire Officer, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Olukotun Odunayo, revealed that 1749 fire calls were recorded between January and November 2024.
Odunayo attributed most of the market fire that occured in Lagos to insufficient knowledge of what disaster management is all about, adding that fire that can cause colossal damage to property starts from small source before spreading to other areas.
He revealed that interactions with victims at incident scenes revealed that plank market fire mostly started from cigarette smoking or sparks from a faulty electricity connection.
“A big fire can start from ashes from a discarded cigarette or sparks from faulty electricity connection when there is a sudden surge in power supply. This often occurs at night. And when it happens victims result to prayers rather than action because they lack knowledge of what to do.
“I want to encourage market leaders to embark on an intensive sensitization campaign for traders in different markets. Traders should know what they need to do in case of emergency.
“Leaders should also ban smoking at market places, especially sawmills and plank markets,” he added.
Odunayo explained that the state recorded a total of 1749 fire calls in the last 11 months, adding that most of them were avoidable incidents.
