The Federal Fire Service has reported significant emergency response outcomes for 2025, saying its interventions preserved thousands of lives and protected assets worth hundreds of billions of naira despite widespread fire incidents recorded nationwide.
According to the agency’s annual statistics, a total of 1,866 fire outbreaks were recorded within the year, resulting in multiple fatalities and injuries even as the service maintained a high rate of property protection across affected locations.
The data showed that 114 lives were lost during the incidents, while 198 civilians and five firefighters sustained injuries, underscoring the continued human cost of fire disasters alongside the economic impact experienced across several sectors.
The statistics were presented on Thursday in Abuja by the Deputy Comptroller-General of the Service in charge of policy, planning, research, and statistics, Ijeoma Achi-Okidi, who outlined the scale, outcomes, and implications of the reported incidents.
In the report, the service stated that property valued at about N74.75 billion was lost during the year, while assets worth approximately N934.70 billion were saved, noting that “FFS successfully protected about 92.59 per cent of the total value at risk.”
A breakdown by premises showed that private residences accounted for the highest number of incidents, followed by public buildings, while markets, vehicles, and other facilities also recorded substantial outbreaks and fatalities.
“Deaths from the market inferno were responsible for over a third of all fatalities, likely due to high occupancy and rapid fire spread in crowded trading environments,” the report stated.
The document further identified electrical faults as the dominant ignition source in 2025, accounting for nearly 70 per cent of all recorded fires, while noting that gas explosions, though fewer, proved deadlier per occurrence.
Reacting to the findings, the Comptroller-General of the Service, Samuel Olumode, described the year’s outcomes as impactful, while urging public cooperation and stronger prevention efforts.
“Prevention is better than reaction, and that is why the service has begun sensitisation programmes and training of personnel in order to service Nigerians better,” he said.
