BENIN CITY – Frantic efforts by the Management and Staff of the Bendel Newspapers Company Limited, Publishers of The NIGERIAN OBSERVER titles, and the Edo State Fire Service yesterday, saved the BNCL building used as Corpers’ Lodge from being completely razed down by the late evening fire that gutted the building surroundings.
The fire which started at about 4.35 p.m. saw residents and passers-by of the area scampering to defeat the inferno which began at the moat behind the building.
It however took the timely intervention of the Staff of BNCL, who used the mobile fire extinguishers to reduce the fire to the barest minimum, thereby preventing it from entering the main building before the arrival of the state fire fighters, who came to the scene in commando style after repeated calls by some top management staff of BNCL moved in and put off the fire in record time to the admiration of residents of the area.
In an interview with the Acting General Manager of BNCL, Reverend Monday Aigbe, who led other management staff to the scene, he said that he was grateful to God for preventing the fire from razing down the building.
He maintained that the alarm raised by the occupants of the building and the neighbours drew the attention of the staff, while commending the preliminary efforts of the two junior staff in using the office fire extinguishers to subdue the fire.
He, however, expressed appreciation to the state fire fighters, that responded quickly to the calls and ensured that the fire was put off without doing any harm to the building just as he advised the people on the need to have fire extinguishers at home and offices.
In the same vein, the Deputy General Manager, Admin, Mallam Momodu, Editor, (Daily), The NIGERIAN OBSERVER, Barr. Solomon Imohiosen, Deputy Editor, Daily, Comrade Leo Atakpu, Assistant Editor, Mr. Tunde Eigbiremolen, and the Advert Manager, Barr. Sunny Airueghian expressed their different views in respect of the fire incident.
They, however, thanked God for preventing the fire from escalating to the extent of causing major disaster, saying that if the fire had affected the entire building it could have been difficult to get a new lodge for the corpers and other staff that serve the country is experiencing serious economy crunch.
They urged the occupants of the building to be vigilant in order to prevent future occurrence. Also speaking, the administrator of the lodge popularly called the Landlord, Mr. Osahon Akhidenor who lamented the fire incident, noted that it affect his economic crops, but thank God the fire was put off.