The Presidency on Sunday said cleared air on viral reports of fire outbreak which was recorded inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja as being reported in some quarters.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, made the clarification in a statement titled “Bush fire incident recorded outside villa perimeter.”
An online medium had reported on Saturday evening that a fire outbreak was reported at the Presidential Villa, causing confusion among workers in the seat of power.
But Shehu said the fire that broke out happened “between the outer wire fence and walls surrounding the Villa.”
He said the “bush fire” started and ended outside the perimeter walls of the Villa.
According to the statement, “People in the country and even abroad have been expressing concerns over reports of a fire incident in Aso Rock Villa, the seat of the Nigerian government.
“I would like to clarify that there was no fire inside the Presidential Villa.
“In the evening of Saturday, March 6, a fire broke out burning shrubs between the outer wire fence and walls surrounding the Villa, precisely in the area between the Villa and the Barracks, towards Asokoro.
“The fire, as being speculated, might have started from a passerby dropping a burning cigarette. The Federal Fire Service will ascertain the reason for it when they complete their investigation.
“It suffices to say that this bush fire, which started and ended outside the perimeter walls of the Villa, was seamlessly contained by fire stations of the State House and the one nearby from the Federal Fire Service. No loss of life, no loss whatsoever to building and property was recorded. We thank well-meaning Nigerians for expressed concerns.”
