A policeman, his wife and five children have been rendered homeless in Gombe State due to what a witness described as the late response of the fire service to a fire incident at their home.
The policeman, Arastus Dimka, who was the only person present when the fire incident occurred, has been hospitalised.
The witness, Garba Amidu, while narrating the incident, said it occurred around 11 am on Friday.
He said the policeman’s home was completely razed, and property valued at over N2 million was destroyed.
Amidu said members of the community pelted the fire service personnel with stones because of their late arrival.
“The fire service arrived at least an hour after the youths had put out the fire. A lot of people came with water, with sand, mixed with detergent, we tried as much as we could.
“Those that were deployed lacked the confidence of working because before they could arrive, the place was already burnt. Some women stoned them, poured them sand. When they were initially called they said they were coming.
“We heard that they use to be something like a tower, where fire activities are monitored from time to time.
“So, without even calling them they will try and find out the destination of the smoke. Instead, the complaint was that there was no fuel, one of the fighters said if they left water in the tank, the tire will be affected,” Amidu told journalists.
Meanwhile, Gombe’s Commanding Officer, Federal Fire Service, Jonas Ayuba lamented inadequacy of fire fighting equipment in the state.
Ayuba, who was reacting to the allegations of negligence, noted that the state only has one functional fire truck.
He said it was not possible that the fire service arrived the scene without water as claimed by residents.