The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service said its operation was seriously disrupted following a series of false emergency calls in the first half of 2024.
This was contained in the statistics of the mid-year activity report, a copy of which was made available to The PUNCH.
In the emergency calls log, the Lagos Fire Service Director, Margaret Adeseye, explained that her fire-fighting departments received no fewer than 331 deceitful alarms raised by some mischievous persons.
The director said 70 hoax fire alarms were received in February; 60 in April; and 75 in May.
She also identified five local government areas where the bulk of the calls came from.
They include Igando, Ikotun (28), Eti Osa (16), Ibeju Lekki (12), Kosofe (13) and Ojo (13).
Margaret, who spoke through the Lagos Fire Service Publicity Director, Ololade Agboola, however, explained that not all the calls were malicious.
“Yes, we know some mischievous persons just dialed our emergency numbers for fun, especially when they are idle and fiddling with their smartphones. That notwithstanding, we have noted that some of these calls were made with good intent.
“Sometimes, we received calls that there was a fire outbreak in an area with no traceable address. In other cases, our firefighters would race to the scene or locate the address only to discover no trace of a fire incident.
“Again, some panic-stricken people would place an emergency call over any visible sign of smoke emanating from the neighbourhood. For instance, there was a bank along Oba Akran Road in Ikeja that was said to be on fire. But we found out that what the people thought was a thick smoke emanating from the building was actually a fumigation exercise.
“In some instances, the fire may have been put out with the affected people calling us again to tell our officials not to bother coming again when the firefighters are already close to the scene. These are some of the challenges we encounter,” she said.
The director appealed to residents of the state to make the agency’s job easier by calling only when there is actual emergency.
