A fire outbreak has damaged sections of the Gombe Media Corporation premises, destroying property and personal belongings belonging to employees and National Youth Service Corps members attached to the station.
The inferno occurred around 3:50pm on Saturday, impacting the media organization’s old television studio, maintenance unit, radio library, News Director’s office, and the hostel housing corps members assigned to GMC Radio and Television.
Firefighters from both the state and federal fire services were deployed to the scene and managed to bring the flames under control.
Director-General of GMC, Malam Ibrahim Isa, monitored the situation at the scene alongside Isma’ila Uba Misilli, the Director-General of Press Affairs to the Gombe State Government, accompanied by station staff, sympathizers, and members of the local community.
There were no fatalities reported from the blaze, though a few people suffered minor injuries while attempting to rescue their possessions and assist with the emergency efforts.
Addressing newsmen at the location, Isa referred to the event as unfortunate, while expressing thanks to God that no lives were lost.
Several affected corps members, such as Farida Tahir, Esther Daniel, and Nasiru Joshua, recounted losing critical personal items, including laptop computers, sewing equipment, and essential academic credentials.
Irmiya Maiguwa, a TV cameraman and graphics artist in the news unit at GMC, was among those who received minor injuries while helping to curb the spread of the fire and protect equipment.
Impacted employees have urged management to establish stronger fire safety measures and deploy proper emergency response equipment within the organization’s facilities to prevent future occurrences and secure lives and property.
