Blaze destroys Ebonyi health ministry building

A devastating fire swept through Block 5, Centenary City, Ministry of Health, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, leaving a trail of destruction and reducing property worth hundreds of millions of Naira to ashes. The blaze occurred at the facility located in the Ministry of Health.

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The fire ravaged the cold store, destroying vital equipment and supplies, including immunisation and solar units, vaccines, vaccine carriers, cold chain boxes, laptops, documents, 5 refrigerators, 2 solar refrigerators, 45 solar batteries, and inverters.

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Among the items lost in the inferno were hospital beds and foams that had been received from the National Primary Health Care Development Authority (NPHCDA), Abuja, for distribution to MAMII LGAs, highlighting the severity of the damage.

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Commissioner for Health, Dr Moses Ekuma, expressed his dismay at the extent of the destruction caused by the fire, while also thanking God that no lives were lost in the disaster.

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Dr Ekuma praised the prompt response of the Commissioner for Power and Energy, fire officers, and security personnel, who alerted him to the fire, thereby preventing it from spreading to other parts of the building.

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The Commissioner for Health revealed that the cold room had housed various vaccines, including BCG, Penta, and the HPV vaccine, all of which were destroyed in the fire, dealing a significant blow to immunisation operations.

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According to Dr Ekuma, the exact cause of the fire remains unknown, but he noted that there had been no public power supply for about 5 days, and the solar power alternative was not functioning, prompting the invitation of EEDC officials to restore power the previous day.

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A committee has been established to investigate the cause of the fire and prevent future occurrences, while the Director of Administration has been directed to allocate new offices to the officers working in the Immunisation Unit.

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Dr Ekuma acknowledged that the fire outbreak had caused substantial damage to the immunisation operations and the affected section of the building, and that building professionals would provide a detailed report on the extent of the damage.

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Mr Frank Oka Ota, the Officer In Charge of Operations in Ebonyi State Fire Service, reported that he received a distress call at around 5:18 am and immediately mobilised his team to the scene.

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Mr Ota explained that his team worked to contain the fire, preventing it from spreading to other parts of the building, which had already been partially engulfed by the time they arrived.

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He expressed gratitude to Governor Nwifuru for providing two brand-new trucks, which enabled them to respond promptly to distress calls, and appealed to the Governor to employ more personnel to enhance their performance.