Thirty-one persons lost their lives and property worth N226.9 million were destroyed in 162 fire incidents in Osun between January and December.
The Director of the State Fire Service, Mr Timothy Ogunje, disclosed this yesterday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Osogbo.
Ogunje, however, said that the agency was able to rescue 12 victims of fire incidents and saved property worth N31.5 billion during the period. He said that the use of substandard electrical equipment was the major cause of fire outbreaks, noting that substandard products would hardly resist electrical surge and spark in any building.
He advised the members of the public to always endeavour to buy genuine electrical equipment and to contact experts in house wiring and other installations. “People should also avoid actions that can cause fire outbreak such as handling of flammable materials carelessly and storage of petrol or diesel in residential buildings,’’ he said.