Chika Ossai, the Commissioner of the Directorate of Bureau for Special Duties in Delta State, said on Sunday that the state lost property worth N1 billion to fire outbreaks between November 2015 and January 2016.
Ossai, who disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Asaba, said the property included shops, houses and markets.
He said a male child died in one of the incidents, which occurred in the night.
He said 52 incidents were recorded in Asaba, while 41 occurred in the Warri axis during the period.
“We recorded 38 fire incidents in Agbor, 11 in Sapele, and four in Kwale,” he added.
The commissioner noted that fire incidents were on the increase in the state because of the dry season.
Ossai, however, promised that the fire service stations across the state were better equipped now to contain the incidents.
He also said the directorate had been enlightening the people of the state through the media on how to avoid fire outbreak.
He said the directorate had also designated some telephone number with which it could be contacted in case of fire outbreaks.
“We are reaching out to residents of the state through jingles in the electronic media especially now bush burning is on the increase,” he said.
The commissioner advised the residents to be conscious of their environment, especially during the dry season when things could easily ignite.
Ossai also advised them to imbibe the habit of switching off electrical appliances when leaving their homes, pointing out that power fluctuation could result in fire outbreaks.
NAN.
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