Abuja: The Federal Fire Service (FFS) saved 2,106 lives and N934.70 billion worth of property in different fire incidents across Nigeria in 2025, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. The statistics were made available to NAN by FFS Deputy Controller-General, Ijeoma Achi-Okidi, who is in charge of Policy, Planning, Research and Statistics.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the report showed that FFS recorded 1,866 fire incidents in the year under review, resulting in 114 lives lost while 198 citizens and five firefighters were injured. The total estimated property loss was approximately N74.75 billion, indicating that FFS successfully protected about 92.59 percent of the total value at risk. The overall fatality rate was 61.09 deaths per 1,000 fire incidents, underscoring the significant human impact despite effective property protection.
A breakdown of fire outbreaks based on premises type indicated a record of 693 cases in private residences, followed by public buildings with 444 cases. Markets and trading centres recorded 190 fires; vehicles/automobiles accounted for 177 fires, while other types of premises had 105 incidents. Thirty-nine persons died in markets and trading centres fire incidents, 22 persons due to automobile fires, 18 persons in public/government offices, 10 deaths due to fires in banks, and 10 persons died from other fires. Deaths in markets infernos were responsible for over a third of all fatalities, likely due to high occupancy and rapid fire spread in crowded trading environments.
The report further revealed that market fires led to property losses valued at N22.27 billion, followed by private residences at N14.67 billion; public/government buildings at N11 billion; educational institutions at N8.16 billion, and fuel/gas stations at N4.92 billion. The leading causes of fire incidents in 2025 were electrical-related issues such as power surge/overload and wiring faults, accounting for nearly 70 percent of all fires recorded in the year. Although gas explosion fires were less frequent than other ignition sources, they had the highest fatality rate per incident.
In an interview with NAN, FFS Controller General (CG) Samuel Olumode acknowledged the significant life-saving and asset protection outcomes achieved by the service in the year under review. Olumode emphasized that the service would continue to intensify efforts in ensuring the safety of lives and property. He assured that plans are ongoing to strengthen preventive regulations, public awareness, and forensic fire investigation capacity. According to him, infrastructure safety will be critical in reducing fire, fatalities, and economic losses. The CG urged Nigerians to cooperate with firefighters at fire scenes for effective fire control and highlighted the importance of prevention over reaction, noting that the service has begun sensitization programs and personnel training to better serve Nigerians.