Fire breaks out at CBN office in Jos

What could have been a fire disaster was on Tuesday averted at the Jos branch office of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

It was learnt that the fire, which started at the second floor of the building, located along Fidelis Tapgun Road, was immediately put off by the security unit of the bank and men of the Plateau State Fire Service.

The spokesman of the Plateau State Fire Service, Mr Victor Kim, who confirmed the incident to our correspondent in Jos, said, “Yes, there was a fire outbreak at the Jos branch of the CBN but our men who went there were able to stop the fire before it spread to other parts of the building.”

The CBN Director, Corporate Communications Department, Mr Isaac Okorafor, also confirmed the fire outbreak in a statement obtained by our correspondent in Jos.

He, however, said that no record was destroyed during the incident, adding that an investigation into the fire incident had begun.

The statement said, “At about 9:15am today (Tuesday), the fire alarm in our Jos branch was triggered and in line with the bank’s fire drill and protocols, the staff on skeletal essential duty were promptly evacuated from the building to the muster point.

“Our branch controller quickly called the fire service at about 9.19am. However, before the arrival of men of the fire service, the bank’s security unit, relying on information from the fire alarm dashboard, traced the fire to an air conditioner installed in the inverter room on the second floor of the building.

“They swiftly put out the fire with extinguishers and hydrants installed in the building.

“The affected room has since been cordoned off for further investigation while normal work has resumed at the branch.”

The statement assured members of the public that the fire incident had been contained, adding that “no damage was done to any records of the bank.”