The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has taken its fight against market fires to the Kugbo Furniture Market located along the Abuja-Keffi expressway.
Declaring open the joint assessment, inspection and sensitisation programme at the market, the Director-General of FEMA, Alhaji Abbas Idriss, said it was to unravel the causes of the yearly fire incidents at the market and proffer solutions.
Represented by the Acting Director, Forecasting Response and Mitigation, Mrs Florence Wenegieme, Idriss decried the absence of fire hydrant and inadequate fire fighting equipment at the market.
The DG informed that the programme would also inspect sources of power supply to the market and electrical connections.
The FEMA boss appealed to traders in the market to cooperate with the Agency and also equip the market with fire defence gadgets.
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Also speaking at the event, the Area Commander, FCT Fire Service, Mr Gringory Eze, traced the yearly fire incidents to power surge, “A single transformer cannot serve this market as they use heavy equipment with high voltage,” he said.
He also condemned wiring within the market, noting that it was capable of igniting a spark.
On his part, the Chairman Kugbo Building Materials Association, Mr Iheanacho Afamefuna disclosed that the market was usually gutted by fire every January, noting that this year’s incident was quickly contained before it escalated.
Afamefuna said that the market management had reached out to FEMA last year for sensitisation on tackling fires at the market.
Blaming fire outbreaks in the market on electric spark, Afamefuna appealed to the FCDA to provide adequate infrastructure at the market,” we have fire extinguishers, but we need water tanker, road, we need government presence in the market like yesterday,” he said.
Representatives of the Federal Fire Service and the National Emergency Management Agency attended the programme.
The highlight of the event was a fire drill to sensitise traders on how to use fire defence equipment.
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