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Molly Kilete, Abuja
Fire yesterday morning gutted the Mogadishu Cantonment Mammy Market. A witness said the fire stated from the restaurant section of the market. The military authorities ruled out electricity surge as the cause of the fire outbreak, which started at about 4am at the cantonment, popularity known as Abacha barracks.
Daily Sun gathered that military authorities had completely disconnected electricity from the market some few months ago to prevent fire outbreak, especially at this period when fire incidences are rife.
Residents of the tri-service barracks housing personnel of the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force, the Defence Headquarters Garrison and Army Headquarters Garrison, were woken from their sleep by the sound of fire alarm, signalling fire outbreak in the barracks.
It was gathered that fire fighters from the Nigerian Army Fire Service, Navy, Air Force, Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), and their counterparts from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Fire Service, arrived almost immediately and fought the fire before it spread to other parts of the market which is popular as the best place for roasted, fish in the FCT.
Personnel from the police and intelligence units of the army, navy and airforce are already on ground to assess the damages caused by the fire. Also, a committee has been set up to look into the cause of the fire.
When contacted, the assistant director army public relations in charge of the Army Headquarters Garrison, Col. Omale Ochagwuba, confirmed the incident and said investigations had commenced to assertion the real cause of the fire.
Ochagwuba said the commander AHQG, Major General Nyam, was on ground to coordinate the situation on ground.
According to him, “investigation is ongoing to ascertain what led to the fire outbreak. The fire broke out from the restaurant section of the mammy market at about 4.05am Wednesday morning. The fire alarm was raised as soon as the fire started and the commander himself was on ground to see that the fire was put out. He directed the troops to isolate the place to prevent the fire from spreading to other parts of the market and that was what saved the situation. So it was only restricted to the fire section.
“Investigations has commenced and you know this is the time of fire incidences and the authorities have been carrying out public enlightenment campaign on fire prevention. And the good news about this is that there is no electricity supply to mammy market so nobody can say it may have occurred as a result of power surge. We make it a duty during harmattan periods to educate residence of the barracks on how to prevent fire outbreak.”
