Some youths on Wednesday protested the incessant outbreaks of fire in Akure, Ondo State capital.

The protest was provoked by the death of two children of the same parents in a fire incident last Saturday night in Akure.

The two siblings, Itunu and Damilare Omolere, were reportedly burnt to ashes in their house at Edo Lodge area.

It was learnt that the parents of the children were not in the house when the fire incident occurred and efforts by sympathisers to rescue them failed.

Neighbours reportedly went to the Ondo State Fire Brigade office but were told there was no water and fuel to move fire-fighting vehicles to the scene of the incident which was about 200 meters away.

The death of the two children occurred barely 24 hours after the rate section of Akure Local Government, part of National Museum and over 200 shops were razed by a midnight inferno in the state capital.

It was gathered that one of the people whose shops were gutted by the fire last week, Elizabeth Aina, had died of heart attack.

The protesters, led by Mrs. Tosin King and Mr. Ayokunle Ajisafe identified the two children as Itunu and Damilare Omolere.

They said the Saturday night fire outbreak caused for concern among the residents of the state, saying that the kids would have survived the fire outbreak if the fire service had responded on time.

Ajisafe explained that the parents of the children were out of the house when the fire incident started and efforts by the neighbour to put off the fire were unsuccessful causing the children to burn to ashes.

He said the neighbours went to the fire service station to report the matter but they were told that there was no water in the fire vehicle and also there was no fuel to move the vehicles to the scene of the incident.

Ajisafe said the protest was to bring the consciousness of the government to the state of affairs of the state fire service. He said several lives would have been saved if the fire service was functioning.

He said,

“We know we cannot bring the dead back but we don’t want to have a repeat of this kind of incident. Nobody prays for this, but the lives of the people are important to us.

“It has become national anthem that there is no water, no fuel by the fire service ( of Ondo State) whenever there is fire incident. It is high time they called the head of the organization to order.

“We are tired of losing lives in fire incidents. It is the Omoleres today; it could be anybody tomorrow.”

In his reaction, the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Yemi Olowolabi said the government would act on the matter.

” Shortly after the protest the governor personally went to the Ondo State Fire Service station in Akure, and he has promised to act. As from tomorrow, there will definitely be a change in the service.”