Lagos Street Fire: Edo Emergency Mgt. Agency Urges Residents On Safety Practices, Insurance
…as victims laud fire service for swift response
By Simeon OSAJIE
The Edo State Emergency Management Agency (EDOSEMA) has advised residents to prioritize safety in all their activities to avoid incidents that can lead to loss of life and property.
The Director, EDOSEMA, Mrs. Helen Obayuwana, gave the advice on behalf of the Commissioner for the Directorate of Special Duties and Rapid Response, Engr. Jonathan Lawani, when she led other officials of the agency to assess the damage done by the fire incident that affected some shops in the popular Lagos Street Market, Benin City.
Mrs. Obayuwana, who empathized with the victims, counseled them to ensure standard safety practices in all their activities to avoid a recurrence of the ugly incident.
She urged shop owners to key into Insurance Policies in order to mitigate the impact of disasters and further emphasized the need for shop owners to switch off electricity sources in their shops before the close of business.
The EDOSEMA boss charged residents to always contact the Directorate of Special Duties and Rapid Response for all emergency/disaster cases in the state.
Commending the State Government for the quick response of the fire service, owner of one of the affected shops said: “We thank God that the fire service came to our rescue before other areas were affected. We thank Governor Godwin Obaseki for repositioning the fire service to deliver on its mandate and appeal to him to also assist us to get back to our businesses.”
According to an eye witness account, the Edo State Fire Service mobilized its men and equipment to the scene of the fire incident following a distress call at about 7:00pm, and successfully extinguished the fire which would have spread to other shops in the market located in the heart of the State capital.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated and about twenty shops in the affected building were razed down by the inferno, checks at the market showed.
