The Federal Fire Service says it saved 2,106 lives and protected property worth about N934.70 billion from various fire incidents across Nigeria in 2025.
The figures were released in Abuja by Deputy Controller General Ijeoma Achi Okidi, who oversees Policy, Planning, Research and Statistics. According to the report, the Service attended to 1,866 fire incidents during the year, in which 114 people died, while 198 civilians and five firefighters sustained injuries.
The total estimated property loss for 2025 was put at N74.75 billion, representing about 7.41 per cent of the total value at risk. The Service said this means it successfully protected roughly 92.59 per cent of assets threatened by fire. The overall fatality rate was 61.09 deaths per 1,000 fire incidents.
Private residences recorded the highest number of cases with 693 fire outbreaks, followed by 444 incidents in public and government buildings. Markets and trading centres had 190 fires, vehicles and automobiles 177, while 105 incidents occurred in other types of premises.
The report showed that market fires were the deadliest, accounting for more than a third of all deaths. Thirty nine people died in market fires, 22 in vehicle related fires, 18 in public or government offices, and 10 deaths each were recorded in banks and in other fire incidents.
In terms of economic losses, market fires led to the destruction of property valued at N22.27 billion. This was followed by private residences with N14.67 billion losses, public and government buildings with N11 billion, educational institutions with N8.16 billion, and fuel or gas stations with N4.92 billion.
Electrical faults, including power surges, overloads and faulty wiring, were identified as the leading causes of fire, accounting for nearly 70 per cent of all incidents. The report added that although gas explosion related fires were fewer, they had the highest fatality rate per incident.
Controller General Samuel Olumode said the Service achieved significant results in saving lives and protecting assets in 2025 but would not relent. He said plans are underway to strengthen preventive regulations, expand public awareness and improve forensic fire investigation capacity across the country.
Olumode emphasised that safer infrastructure is vital to reducing fires, deaths and economic losses. He urged Nigerians to cooperate with firefighters at incident scenes and to prioritise prevention through compliance with safety guidelines, ongoing sensitisation and better training for personnel.
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