Residents of Enugu metropolis have expressed delight over the way the Enugu State Fire Service now rapidly responds to fire distress calls in the state.
This followed the rapid response by the fire service when contacted through the Emergency Communication Centre (ECC) number 112 on Friday as fire outbreak ravaged 7Up Bottling Company, Ninth Mile in the state.
According to officials of the centre, a good citizen called 112 and they responded and in turn alerted the fire service who also swung into action immediately.
Last Monday too, a house on Nowas area, beside Tazol Fuel Station, in Abakpa Nike, was being gutted by fire, but was saved through the emergency number.
Similarly, the Enugu Fire Service had on March 11, also curtailed another fire outbreak that would have gutted flats and houses at Ogui Road in the Enugu metropolis.
A resident at the neighbourhood of the Ogui fire outbreak said: “This fire would have destroyed a lot of property, but for the intervention of the fire service. The Enugu Fire Service swung into action immediately they got the information from SEMA Enugu.”
According to residents, it was one of them “who knew about the Emergency Communication Centre number 112 that put up the call to report the incident. The ECC immediately alerted SEMA who in turn informed the fire service and the inferno was quenched.”
However, residents have lamented over the increasing cases of fire incidents in the state, urging the government to step up enlightenment campaigns for people living in the state to stop storing fuel and other combustible substances in their residences while people should cultivate the habit of switching off their electrical appliances when not at home.
They also advised residents in the state to keep handy the ECC 112 number since it has proved to be effective in case of fire outbreak emergencies.