Fire prevention and safety management have been described as everyone’s business.


Anambra State Fire Service Chief, Mr. Martin Agbili stated this at the scene of a fire outbreak along Nnamdi Azikiwe University axis of the Enugu/Onitsha expressway Awka, where a truck fully loaded with goods worth thousands of naira got burnt.


The truck, fully loaded with flammable goods including gas cylinders, insecticides, perfumes and body creams among other cosmetics, left Onitsha for Ikom, Cross River State before the disaster.


On arrival at the scene, the ABS spotted men of the fire service trying to extinguish the fire.


Men and officers of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, and Road Safety were also at the scene diverting vehicles to other parts of the road to avoid casualty.


Men of the state fire service were able to save some of the goods, though majority of them including the truck was lost to the inferno.


Mr. Agbili, who attributed the huge lose to untimely alerting of the fire service, called on Anambra residents to always call the fire service on time whenever there is fire outbreak for prompt attention and control adding that the agency is out to freely assist people in fire related issues.


He advised members of the public to always adhere to fire safety management laws, and avoid acts capable of causing fire outbreak.



Narrating his ordeal, the driver of the truck, Mr. Chimezie Aniekie, from Imo state, resident at Osile village Ogbunike, who is on higher-purchase, disclosed that he was not aware that the vehicle was on fire until his attention was called by a fellow driver and lamented on how to start live over, as according to him, the truck is his only source of livelihood.
He appealed to government and wealthy individuals to come to his aid.