The FCT fire service has advised embassies and organisations in the country to ensure strict compliance with fire safety standards to forestall unnecessary fire outbreaks.
Zacchaeus Adebayo, acting controller of the FCT Fire Service, said this in an interview with journalists on Wednesday in Abuja.
Mr Adebayo’s advice followed the fire incident at the Canadian embassy on Monday, which killed two persons and left two wounded and properties worth millions of naira were also destroyed.
He said most fire outbreaks were a result of avoidable human errors.
“When we got to the Canadian embassy yesterday, we noticed that there was an installation of a diesel tank inside the generator house, housing two generators at the same time. This falls far below international best practices if really anyone is to avoid unnecessary fire outbreaks,” stated the fire service boss.
Mr Adebayo added, “So I urge all corporate organisations, especially our embassies, to desist from such risky and dangerous practices henceforth, if our quest to avoid unnecessary fire outbreaks is anything to go by.”
The controller explained that the development has informed the service to immediately go around the embassies and other important facilities to carry out risk assessments to ensure safety and warned that the service may embark on sanctions against those who deliberately refused to comply with safety standards.
Mr Adebayo advised that all safety measures regarding the use of appliances, such as electricals, must be strictly adhered to to avoid casualties of any nature.
He said the service’s safety officers would be deployed to some offices, residential areas and communities within the FCT to sensitise them on safety measures.
According to him, all these efforts are geared towards ensuring that cases of fire outbreaks are managed to their barest minimum and that investigations are ongoing to unravel the cause of the fire outbreak at the Canadian embassy to avoid further occurrences.
NAN