F!re razes Abuja furniture market, as ₦1.8bn property saved
Fire razes Abuja furniture market, as ₦1.8bn property saved
ABUJA: A major fire outbreak on Sunday morning gutted parts of the Kugbo Furniture Market in Abuja before firefighters from the Federal Fire Service and other emergency responders brought the inferno under control after several hours of intense firefighting.
The Federal Fire Service, in a statement signed by its National Public Relations Officer and Head of Corporate Services, DCF Paul Abraham, said the fire, suspected to have been caused by an electrical surge, broke out in the early hours at the market, one of the largest furniture hubs in the Federal Capital Territory, where the nature of materials stored posed a high risk of rapid spread.
According to the Service, a distress call was received at its control room at about 8:37am, triggering the immediate deployment of firefighters from the Special Unit of the National Headquarters.
Two high-power ground monitor appliances were mobilised from the headquarters, while an additional firefighting truck responded from the Nyanya Fire Station, with the FCT Fire Service also joining the operation.
Firefighters from both services battled the blaze for more than three hours before successfully containing it, preventing further escalation.
The coordinated response, the Service said, led to the saving of properties estimated at about ₦1.8 billion, even though the overall value of the market was put at over ₦2 billion.
The Controller General of the Federal Fire Service, Olumode Samuel Adeyemi, commended the gallantry and professionalism of the responding firefighters, stressing that early reporting of emergencies was critical to reducing losses.
He urged members of the public to promptly alert the Service whenever incidents occur, noting that timely calls enable swift intervention and effective deployment of resources.
Adeyemi also expressed appreciation to the FCT Fire Service for its continued collaboration in joint emergency response efforts, describing such partnerships as essential to safeguarding lives and property in the nation’s capital.
