The Nasarawa State Fire Service says it recorded 155 fire incidents in 2020.
Alhaji Dalhatu Dogara, the state’s Chief Fire Officer, disclosed this while briefing newsmen on Wednesday.
Dogara said that the service received 172 distress calls during the period under review, adding that 155 had to do with fire outbreaks.
He said that eight of the calls were for rescue operations, while nine others were false calls.
Dogara said that eight deaths were recorded during the period under review, while four lives were saved.
“The estimated value of property lost as a result of these fire outbreaks is estimated at N201 million, while N2.7 billion worth of property was lost during the period.
“Most of the fire incidents occurred in residential houses,’’ he said.
Dogara said that compared to 2019, more fire incidents were recorded in 2020, attributing the increase to population growth and activities in towns across the state.
“Another reason could be the massive distribution of cooking gas to rural women.
“That also contributed to the increase in fire outbreaks because how to handle it (cooking gas) was a problem to them,’’ he said.
Dogara, however, said that there were efforts to curb fire incidents in the state through massive enlightenment.
“We are doing this through the media, both print and broadcast. We also engage in workshops and seminars.
“We are also making sure that all the 13 Local Government Areas and Development Areas are provided with firefighting facilities,’’ he said.
Dogara thanked Gov. Abdullahi Sule for his efforts toward repositioning the service for better performance and called for the provision of modern firefighting equipment.