Simon Ebegbulem
24 June 2008
Lagos — FIRE, yesterday, gutted the Benin City branch of the Unity Bank, destroying property and cash estimated at over N4 million.
The fire which started at about 10 am, destroyed the operational hall of the bank and the cause of the inferno was yet to be ascertained as at the time of filing this report. Staff of the bank were seen running helter skelter when Vanguard arrived the scene at about 11am.
It was learnt that officials of the State Fire Service failed to put off the fire due to lack of sufficient water and other operational facilities. Vanguard observed that the men of the State Fire Sevice were helpless until help came from the men of the Nigerian Airforce Fire Service who succeeded in putting the raging fire under control.
However, the Public Relations Officer of the State Fire Service, Mr. Franklin Agbonlahor, swiftly reacted to the allegation that they lack the facilities to put out the fire, but could not give explanatons as to why they failed to quell the raging fire.
Vanguard reliably learnt that the cause of the inferno could have been as a result of a spark in on e of the electrical appliancies in the operation hall.
Unfortunately, the staff of the bank did not discover it until it spread to other areas.
Officials of the bank declined comment on the fire incident when newsmen besieged the area but it was learnt that cash and property estimated at over N4million were complete destroyed.
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