Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has announced a new fire safety directive mandating the installation of fire extinguishers in residential and commercial buildings across the state.
This came following his unscheduled visit to the site of a devastating fire that gutted a two-storey building at No. 73 Lagos Street, off Ngwa Road in Aba, on Tuesday night.
The fire, which razed the top floor of the building, left residents homeless and destroyed properties worth millions of naira.
Otti, speaking at the scene on Friday, expressed concern over the growing trend of preventable fire disasters, stressing that such losses could have been minimized if basic firefighting tools had been available.
“Everyone must have a fire extinguisher,” the governor stated firmly. “We will begin enforcing this. If there had been a fire extinguisher here, this fire might have been contained.”
He also questioned the failure of the State Fire Service to respond to the emergency, despite prior government investments in equipment and vehicles.
“I was informed of this incident while returning from Abuja and came here straight from the airport. It’s unfortunate. I have directed the Special Adviser on Homeland Security to investigate why the Fire Service didn’t respond. Their phones were reportedly switched off while the building burned completely,” he added.
Otti assured the victims of government support, pledging assistance in securing temporary accommodation and providing aid to help them recover from their losses.
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He also expressed gratitude that no lives were lost in the fire.
Meanwhile, victims of the incident have begun sharing their harrowing experiences.
The landlord, Mr. Vincent Uzuegbu, recounted how the fire broke out around 10:30 p.m. and how he watched helplessly as the building collapsed. “This house is my pension,” he said tearfully. “I have no business at the moment, and I’m squatting in a neighbour’s one-room apartment.”
Another victim, Mrs. Ugochi Obinna, narrated how she and her family narrowly escaped death. “My children had collapsed from the smoke before neighbours broke the door to rescue us,” she said, adding that everything, including her husband’s business capital, was lost to the fire.
Her husband, Mr. Obi Obinna, said he was away during the incident and returned only to find their home completely destroyed.
The state government has yet to issue an official timeline for the implementation of the fire extinguisher policy but emphasized that it would be enforced soon to prevent future tragedies.