2 Dead as Fire Razed Canadian High Commission in Nigeria

A fire has broken out at the Canadian High Commission in Abuja, Nigeria. The incident has claimed two lives, leaving two others severely injured and hospitalized.

Confirming the incident, the Head of Operations of the FCT Fire Service, Amiola Adebayo, told The Punch in a telephone interview, “Yes, it is true. We have two fatalities and three or four people hospitalized.”

Also, there is no further information on whether the victims are foreign expatriates or Nigerians.

According to the FCT Emergency Management Team, the fire started between 10:30 am and 11 am on Monday and was caused by a diesel explosion in the generator house of the Canadian High Commission.

Nkechi Isa, the Head of Public Affairs of the FCT Emergecny Management, said in a statement “A diesel tank explosion in the generator house at the Canadian Embassy in the Federal Capital Territory has left two persons dead and two hospitalized at the National Hospital Trauma Centre with severe burns. The incident happened at around 10:45 am today.”

“One of the power-generating sets was said to be working, while the other one was being serviced. The fire occurred when the tank of diesel in the generator house containing 2000 liters of diesel exploded. Two of the personnel servicing the generator survived and are on admission at the National Trauma Centre with severe burns.”

“Reacting to the incident, the Acting Director General of FEMA, Mr. Mohammed Ibrahim Sabo, called for caution in the handling of petroleum products, particularly with the onset of the dry season”, reads the statement.

The statement stated that the fire was contained by the fire service around 12:30pm. The victims of the fire were reportedly Nigerians.

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