Harmattan: Agency Cautions Against Playing With Fire

As the harmattan season sets in, the Bauchi State Fire Directorate has warned the public against leaving fire unattended to prevent any outbreak.

The Director, Alhaji Danlami Baraza, told our correspondent in Bauchi on that the directorate had been battling with reported fires since the season began.

He said that most of the outbreaks were largely caused by unextinguished fires resulting from cooking and cigarettes.

“The current season we are in now is windy and people, especially in the villages, need to warm themselves with open fire but if care is not taken, the wind can blow it around and start a huge fire.

“Some smokers are of the habit of dropping cigarettes without first quenching them and this too leads to fire outbreak.”

Baraza identified the dearth of experienced officers through retirement and death as one of the challenges facing the directorate, saying five of the staff had retired and two died this year alone.

He, therefore, called on the state government to provide equipment and employ more staff to complement the efforts of existing workers so as to face the challenges posed by the job.

The director also urged the government to provide an ambulance to convey victims to hospital and a public address system to carry out fire prevention campaigns in markets and villages.