3 injured as fire razes properties in two places in Osogbo
From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
Properties worth millions of naira were destroyed by the fire that engulfed houses in two separate areas of Osogbo, Osun State on Wednesday evening while three persons were injured.
The fire razed a double two-story building in the Omigade area, Ogo-Oluwa and another one at GRA, Osogbo.
Residents of Omigade lamented that they were helpless for hours before the arrival of the fire service as the fire raged between 6 pm on Wednesday and midnight on Thursday.
The spokesperson of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Kehinde Adeleke, in a statement, Thursday, said that the operatives of Nigeria police and NSCD were in attendance to maintain law and order and treatment of victims with minor injuries.
She said distress calls were received about the fire outbreak at Omigade and GRA almost at the same time. The disaster management and medical team were divided into two with rescue ambulances going to GRA and others to Ogo-oluwa.
“The team at GRA joined the residence to quench the fire. The rescue ambulance left GRA immediately to join the team at Ogo-oluwa where the team was able to treat three people wounded from the disaster scene,” Adeleke said.
An eyewitness, Kolawole Kojusola, who took part in quenching the double two-storey building at Omigode, explained that the incapacity of the fire service contributed to the magnitude of the damage.
“We have been trying to put it off before 7. Two vehicles came from the fire service. One of their vehicles knocked while the second one could not work for long because the water was licking and wasting.
“Two persons came to help us invite federal service but they would need diesel to mobile their men. When we raised money for the diesel, two vehicles were brought but couldn’t quench the fire.
“We tried to forestall the transfer of the fire to the second building but we ran when we heard the sound of a gas cylinder from the kitchen,” Kojusola said.
Also, the spokesman of Osun State Fire Service, Mr Adekunle Ibraheem said that they received the distress call to a house on Fire in the Omigade area, Ogo-Oluwa, Osogbo at around 1900hrs and they immediately deployed their operatives from Fire Service Headquarters, Abere and also Okefia Fire Station as a backup team.
“However, owing to the magnitude of the inferno, more operatives from Ede Zonal Fire Station and Federal Fire Service led by the state controller, Mr Isaac Femi Akinjobi, were subsequently deployed and the fire was put under control at about 2130hrs,” Ibraheem said.
