This time of the year, the dry season, fire outbreak is not unusual because virtually every dry object can ignite a fire.
Subduing the fire is made difficult by dry wind. In rural places where thatch and wood are used in building houses it is even more challenging to overcome domestic fire outbreaks.
The impact of fire outbreak in this time of the year is aggravated by the fact that things are just picking up after the Christmas and New Year holiday. If there is any time to dread being a victim of fire outbreak it is now.
This was the fate of three communities in Kiyawa Local Government Area of Jigawa of Jigawa State who were visited by the rage of fire. The devastation was enormous.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the incident, which occurred on Sunday, left one person dead, destroyed property, including livestock worth over N100 million and rendered over 100 households homeless in Malamawar Dangoli, Karange and Kwalele communities.
Residents and authorities concerned, including Federal Fire Service and Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), were yet to ascertain what caused the fire outbreak as at the time of filing this report.
Alhaji Sani Yusuf, Executive Secretary, SEMA, who spoke with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dutse, described the fire as ‘very serious’.
The said SEMA personnel have also visited the communities and assessed the level of damaged caused by the fire.
According to him, the agency has provided the victims with some emergency relief items, including food, clothes, blankets, mats, among others.
Yusuf told NAN that about 338 individuals, including 108 women in 111 households were affected by the disaster.
He explained that the fire which started from Malamawa community escalated to other areas due to gusty winds and thatched roofs in the area.
He said the agency had reported the incident to National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) adding that NEMA Director-General, Habib Ahmed, was expected to visit the affected.
Also, Mr Jamilu Habibu, spokesperson of the state’s command of the Federal Fire Service, described the incident as ‘big fire outbreak’ that affected three communities at a time.
Habibu further said the fire, which broke at about 11:49 a.m., took firefighters over an hour to put it out.
“A major fire outbreak occurred at Kiyawa LGA. We received a distress call about the unfortunate incidence and turned out immediately in order to quench it.
“On reaching the scene, we discovered that the fire is a serious one, in fact it is a big fire outbreak that affected three communities namely Malamawa, Karangi and Kwalele.
“Although the fire was well alight on our arrival, we were unable to discover its cause but it could be as a result of the present weather condition in which dried leaves and other fuel spread by wind.
“However, our early arrival helped immensely as the fire could have burn down more communities due to the nature the fast spreading of the fire”, he said.
The inferno required a special intervention and approach before it was put out.
“We fought it for more than an hour and later called for backup from Aeroplane Fire Fighting and Rescue Services (AFFRS) of Dutse Dutse International Airport.
“Our fire appliances worked like a magic because it has three different parts that can work at different fires at a time.
“We divided ourselves into three and each unit took care of a particular part of the fire,” the spokesperson told NAN.
The firefighter commended the Comptroller-General of the Fire Service, Mr Jaji Abdulganiyu, for procuring modern firefighting equipment, including the Foam Chemical Compound that was used to bring the inferno under control.
Habib further said that during the dry season, indiscriminate bush burning is a common cause of fire outbreaks.
“Most times, bushes that are close to homesteads are set on fire either for hunting wild animals, as well as preparing farmlands for cultivation.
“This is very dangerous because in most cases, it spreads to houses and farmlands close to these bushes”, Habib told NAN.
The spokesperson also identified the crowd as one of the challenges faced by fire fighters because they frustrate firemen’s attempts at timely reaching the inferno.
“Most of the time the crowd on the way constitutes a big barrier to fire fighters attending to fire incidents.
“Another challenge is the people who disrupt operations by trying to forcefully work outside the directives of fire fighters.
“The lost property included food stuff, livestock and other assets. Based on information received from the villages, seven children went missing during the incident, but were later found after the fire had been subdued.
“A child was found dead (it could be due to inhalation of the toxic smoke) and two other children were later found unconscious and taken to Kiyawa general hospital for medical attention,” Habib told NAN.
When contacted the Ward Head of Malamawa, Malam Sale Haruna, said over 100 households and 53 animals were affected in the area.
Sale said because their local silos had been razed by the fire, the community now faced shortage of food.
He, however, confirmed that SEMA and other philanthropists have provided the residents of the area with food stuff and other relief items.
Malam Hassan Muhammad, whose two rooms, animals and food stuff were consumed by the fire called on the government and other individuals to assist the victims.
“I lost my rooms, livestock, clothes and those of my wives and children. We are really in need of assistance from government and other willing individuals.
“We thank SEMA for its prompt response as it has already provided food items and other relief items, however, we still need some more”, he said. (NANFeatures)
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