The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Department has once again, emphasised on the importance of access in firefighting operations.
The agency had also remarked that the cause of the fire incident at the old Karu Market was still unknown at press time.
The Acting Director General of FEMD, Florence Wenegieme, had disclosed this in a statement signed by Nkechi Isa, the Head of Public Affairs, on Friday, June 28.
An joint team made up of the FCT Fire Service, Federal Fire Service, and Julius Berger Fire Service had yesterday, contained the fire outbreak at the old Karu Market in the FCT.
According to Wenegieme, who was at the scene of the incident scene, the fire had begun at about 6.30 p.m and as it progressed, the firemen who were dispatched to the scene on time were, unfortunately, unable to gain access to the market, leading to the many loss of lives and valuable properties.
What They’re Saying
Wenegieme had said;
“It was the illegal market or settlement behind the new market under construction that was overwhelmed by fire. We had enough firetrucks and firemen, but we could not gain access to the market, so we had to break walls to have access for the firefighting hose; that was what caused the delay in putting out the fire.”
She further stated that the cause of the fire was yet to be determined and that investigations had been launched.
“No life was lost to the fire incident; goods worth millions of Naira were destroyed.” She finished.
The Nigeria Police, the Nigerian Army, and the Nigeria Civil Defence Corps were also on the ground to control the crowd.
