The Fire Menace​—Nigeria’s Anguish

By “Awake!” correspondent in Nigeria

NO ONE knows exactly how it happened. A young man named Sunday and his two friends often slept in the small chemist’s shop where they worked. Around midnight, however, they were not asleep. Perhaps they were reading or just talking when their room was suddenly plunged into darkness. Residents of Lagos, Nigeria, however, are accustomed to frequent power failures. So Sunday probably felt his way to the place where the matches and candles were kept and lit a candle. No doubt the warmth of the evening lulled him and his friends to sleep. And as they slept, the candle burned lower . . .

One can only imagine the terror they must have felt when they were rudely awakened by the heat and smoke of a raging fire. The youths screamed for help and tried frantically to open the door​—but too late. They perished in the flames and fumes of exploding chemicals.

TRAGEDIES such as this are all too common in Nigeria. A child plays with a match, a man falls asleep holding a cigarette, a cloth pad is left near the flames of a stove​—and suddenly the friendly fire has become a killer. Indeed, a recent spate of fires has destroyed large markets in many parts of the country. Large office buildings have been burned to the ground, homes have gone up in flames, and lives have been lost.

The nation’s anguish overflowed on Monday, January 24, 1983, as the NECOM (Nigerian External Communications) House became engulfed in flames. This 37-storey building housed highly computerized and expensive equipment​—the heart of Nigeria’s telecommunications system. This attractively designed building, the tallest in West Africa, and called Nigeria’s pride, now blazed and smoked in the harmattana haze.

Joe worked in this building and recalls: “Soon after the fire broke out around 9:30 A.M., panic-stricken workers jumped from the fifth floor to lie broken on the road. One died. Other workers were trapped on the roof as the fire engulfed one floor after the other. Thousands of helpless onlookers wept and screamed. Many prayed aloud, kneeling and throwing up their arms in distress. Fire fighters, their equipment inadequate for such a tall building, could do nothing. The trapped workers called for help, despairing until four Nigerian Air Force helicopters carried them to safety.”

“Enough is enough,” Nigerians said. They started demanding preventive measures against fires in public buildings and asked for better fire-fighting equipment. While this would certainly help, it would hardly eliminate some basic reasons for the problem.

Behind the Fire Menace

Why, then, are fires so common in this country? For one thing, there are unsafe living conditions. Most families in Nigerian cities live in crowded tenement buildings. They cook on oil stoves along passageways cluttered with combustible materials. Frequent electrical power cuts compel the use of candles and lamps with open flames. Occupants of a room often connect too many appliances to too few electrical outlets. This overload can cause electric wires to overheat and start a fire.

Nigerian markets are also likely candidates for a fire. These sprawling and crowded complexes of wooden sheds and stores are filled with materials that burn easily. Similarly, public offices are not only crowded and cluttered with combustible materials but also lack adequate fire-fighting equipment. These conditions are fire hazards. But there is another possible element: arson!

Some of the public offices that have burned down have housed information pertinent to ongoing investigations of fraud. Some therefore argue that these fires were started by people who wanted to destroy damaging evidence. The suspicion of arson also arose out of the spate of market fires that provided an opportunity for large-scale looting. A New Nigerian newspaper editorial spoke of the “remarkable pattern of conflagration, looting and mob action” during market fires and said: “All indications point to the fact that these market fires were set by highly organised gangs of criminals.”

The fire menace is thus very real. But is there anything Nigerians can do to lessen the menace? Yes, and some of the suggestions in the box (page 16) may prove practical in your part of the world too.

Helpful suggestions on coping with a fire were made in the September 8, 1980, issue of Awake! Two workers in the NECOM House, Joe and Bose, got to use the advice given there. Joe, who worked on the ninth floor, recalls: “When a junior officer reported to me that the building was on fire, I opened my door and saw people rushing down the stairs in confusion. Now thinking of escape, I recalled what I had read in Awake! I remembered that I should try to keep calm and not panic, that I should not use the elevators but should rather make use of the fire escape, because elevators can easily become firetraps. Also, I had already acquainted myself with the layout of the stairs and exits. I took the fire escape, but when I got to the sixth floor, the smoke cut off any further descent. Remembering that there was a ramp for motor cars that ran through the back of the building, I took this route and made my escape.”

Bose had a similar experience: “When I discovered smoke billowing up the stairway to the 14th floor where my office was located, I alerted my co-workers and, leaving our possessions behind, we began looking for a way out of the building. People were rushing down the stairs and milling about in a state of panic. Since I already knew the layout of the exits, I shouted to the others, ‘Let us take this way!’ Thus many of us were able to make it to the ground floor.”

Fortunately, only two people died in the fire, mainly because the building had many exits and the fire was, at first, restricted to just one wing. The casualties, however, resulted from the victims’ not knowing what to do.

Do not make the same mistake. Fires will no doubt continue to cause anguish in Nigeria, as they do in many parts of the world. But the menace of fire can be greatly reduced if you take reasonable steps to protect yourself and your family.

[Footnotes]

[Box/​Pictures on page 16]

Preventing Fires and Coping With Them

Cluttered rooms and passageways are fire hazards. Keep papers, books, and clothing neatly in their places. Get rid of unnecessary furniture. Use electrical equipment with care, not overloading the outlets. If a pressing iron is used, see that it is placed on a steel base and kept unplugged when it is not in use. Candles are inherently dangerous, but if they must be used, be sure to stand them on a fire-resistant base away from curtains and other objects that can burn. Be sure, too, to extinguish them before going to sleep.

Smoking is not only a health hazard but also a serious fire hazard. So DO NOT SMOKE! “Remember,” says the Bible, “how a mere spark may set a vast forest in flames.” (James 3:5, Weymouth) Also, keep matches, petrol, and other flammable materials out of the reach of children. Explain to them just how dangerous a fire can be.

If a fire breaks out in spite of all these precautions, advance preparation could save your life. It may be practical to have family fire drills. Plan escape routes (and alternates) from every room in your house. In addition, impress upon your family that if fire breaks out, they should immediately get out of the burning building. Trying to salvage a few material possessions can be fatal. Stay calm and concentrate on finding a way out. Once you are outside, you can summon help.