Controller General, Federal Fire Service, Joseph Anebi, has urged Nigerians to guard against uncontrolled fire outbreaks as the country is experiencing dry season.

Anebi, who was represented by Head of Operations of the service, Machie Emmanuel, made the call while declaring open the 2016 National Fire Safety Week in Abuja on Monday.

He said the event was held annually to create awareness on the dangers of uncontrolled fire in the nation’s environment especially during the harmattan period.

According to him, this year’s event with the theme “Minimising fire outbreaks: Precaution is the Answer’’, will provide the opportunity to educate the public on the threat posed by uncontrolled fires.

The controller-general said it was a known fact that most fire outbreaks resulted from human failings.

Anebi urged Nigerians to collectively tackle the menace to free the country from the shackles of uncontrolled fires which wrecked havoc to the Nigeria’s economy.

He said the activities earmarked for this year’s programme included parades and drills, exhibition of fire service tools and awareness on fire prevention measures through the media.

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who was represented by AVM Charles Otegbade, urged Nigerians to take fire safety seriously in order to save lives and property.

Abubakar said the best way to fight fire was to prevent it, adding that safety first and when this was achieved, the work of the fire service would be easier.

He stressed the need for Nigerians to ask themselves safety questions everyday like “what have I done to prevent fire today, and what have I done to put fire off”.

According to him, the consciousness of these questions will go a long way in creating safety awareness on prevention of fire outbreaks in Nigeria.