Panic broke out at the Federal Secretariat Complex in Awka, Anambra State, on Tuesday after a fire gutted part of a building housing the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria and an adjoining store occupied by a pharmaceutical company.
The fire, which reportedly started around 3pm, destroyed office equipment, documents and files before it was brought under control by personnel of the Anambra State Fire Service, assisted by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
It was gathered that the fire started after thick smoke was noticed in a section of the building, causing staff at the secretariat to scamper to safety.
An eyewitness and staff member of the National Orientation Agency, Anthony Obiorah, said workers were in their offices when a staff member on the second floor raised the alarm.
Obiorah said, “A staff member on the second floor suddenly raised the alarm of a fire at about 3pm. We were helpless and managed to call the men of the Anambra State Fire Service, who responded swiftly.
“Two offices belonging to the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria were gutted by the fire. Equipment, documents and files were burnt, although some properties were rescued from destruction.
“With the intervention of the firefighters, some shelves and office cabinets were saved from another room close to the one on fire. The walls of the offices were cracked, while portions of the cement walls fell as the fire raged.”
The Fire Chief of the Anambra State Fire Service, Chukwudi Chiketa, who led his personnel to the scene, said the cause of the fire had yet to be established.
Chiketa said efforts were ongoing to completely put out the fire, adding that an investigation would be conducted to determine its cause.
He urged residents and workers in government offices to keep fire extinguishers readily available and contact the fire service promptly whenever they noticed a fire outbreak to facilitate a swift response.
Also speaking at the scene, the Anambra State Commandant of the NSCDC, Maku Olatunde, said the command was alerted to the incident at about 3pm.
He said the prompt response of the corps, in collaboration with the state fire service, prevented the fire from spreading to other offices within the complex.
Olatunde said, “Upon receipt of the distress call, the NSCDC Disaster Management Team responded promptly to the scene and, in collaboration with the Anambra State Fire Service, the inferno was swiftly brought under control and prevented from spreading to other offices within the complex.
“Due to this timely intervention, property estimated at over N200bn was saved from destruction. While the actual cause of the fire is still under investigation, preliminary findings suggest a power surge as the likely cause.
Normalcy has since been restored at the Federal Secretariat, and investigations are ongoing.”
The commandant said the operation was in line with the NSCDC’s mandate to protect critical national, state and local government assets and infrastructure.
He commended the Disaster Management Team and urged Ministries, Departments and Agencies to conduct regular electrical audits and adhere strictly to fire safety protocols.
Punch
