The fourth Man in the fire
On Thursday, July 24, 2024, based on a burden on my heart, I placed a prayer request on our family whatsapp group, asking my siblings to pray against fire accident. I had a dream the night before that one of our houses was on fire. In the dream, I was shouting and calling out to my younger sister, who was trying to get her property out of the house. In the dream, it was not clear if it was my house or hers.
I woke up and prayed against any fire accident and later forward my prayer request on our family whatsapp group. My siblings all prayed, sent their prayers, casting, binding and canceling all spirit of fire accident in the name of Jesus.
Fast forward to six days later, on Tuesday, 30th July, 2024, I woke up, did my daily routine and then set off to work. At 1:35pm, our gateman, Mallam Husseini (that’s how I call him), called my line. As soon as I picked, he said in Hausa intonation: “Madam, smoke dey ‘comot’ from the back your house”. Meanwhile, my colleagues and I, along with our Managing Director, Mr. YJ Itopa were snacking on groundnut.
Quickly, I jumped up, picked my bunch of keys and ran out. One of my colleagues, Mr. Aduku Aruwa, offered to go with me and I asked our office Electrician, Mallam Usman Abdullahi, to come along with us. I factored that I will need his expertise to put out whatever fire was in my apartment. I drove on top speed, almost mindless of the risk because my heart was racing very fast. The occupants in my car kept cautioning me. Thank God, I live not too far away from the office. We got to my house in record time.
I blared the horn and Mallam Husseini opened the gate “with immediate alacrity”, as Chief Zebrudaya of New Masquerade would say. New Masquerade is a mid 1970s to mid 1990s sitcom on NTA. We all hurried up the staircase, two stairs at a time, as we had already perceived the smell of smoke. I unlocked the door and stepped back. Usman who led the way, opened the door and we were confronted by a dark, thick smoke. I was scared, I couldn’t go in. Usman pulled down curtains, opening the windows and putting on the fan for allow more air into the house. Mallam Husseini and a neighbour rushed up to assist. Removing the power switch, we all began to search for the source of the smoke. There was no fire.
“Madam na stabiliser, Madam na stabiliser, come see…” I still could not go in. The smoke coming out from my apartment was strong. When Mr. Aduku and I finally entered and went into the kitchen to see the stabiliser, it was burnt to ashes. Only God knows when it started burning and how long it took to burn. The fridge which the stabiliser was serving was not burnt. The fridge was connected to the stabiliser. I normally keep a towel on the floor by the fridge to soak up water coming out from the fridge when not in use. The towel was burnt close to the fridge and stopped. I also had a broomstick close to the stabiliser, it didn’t burn. God came through for me.
How else will I explain the stabiliser that got burnt to ashes in my kitchen where everything that could trigger off fire is kept? Who quenched the fire? I can only attribute it to the handiwork of God, the fourth man in the fire. I am a Christian, and the fourth man in the fire means a lot to me and he has come through for me. The fourth man in the fire is the angel sent by God to deliver Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the blazing furnace in the Bible. The book of Daniel 3: 19 – 25 tells the story of how three men came out unhurt from the fire because of the presence of the fourth man in the fire sent by God.
Earlier on Monday, 29th, 2024, my siblings and I had started our monthly prayer and fasting programme. This was a day before the fire. On the day of the fire, I had just prayed, broke my fast, had water, snacking on groundnut when I received the call. The question is how did the fire start? Power surge? That is the only explanation I have. All appliances in my house are always switched off when I am going out, except the fridge and stabiliser. It was a great miracle and testimony for me.
I saw how smoke could be dangerous. I was outside, yet the smoke coming out got to me. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), smoke kills faster than we think. It is the leading cause of home fire deaths, killing an average of 590 people annually. Overall, house fires are responsible for approximately 2,629 deaths each year and cause around 7.2 billion dollars in property damage each year.
Mr. Aduku Aruwa, who came along with me could not go into the house because of the thick, heavy smoke. He was rather calling out to the electrician to come out. “Come out, smoke kills faster than fire.”
Taking precautions in our homes and even offices is very important. It is very important to check electrical equipment and remove defective equipment when leaving the house or office. Ensure electrical cords are in good condition, plug appliances and lights into separate electrical outlets, avoid using extension cords under carpets or across walking areas and use only one device per outlet. The safest way to deal with fire is to prevent it.
The Healthy, Safe and Productive live and enterprise, says a fire needs three elements -heat, oxygen and fuel. Without heat, oxygen and fuel, a fire will not start or spread. A key strategy to prevent fire is to remove one or more of heat, oxygen or fuel. The risk assessment should include detail on all three elements to minimise the risk of a fire starting or spreading.
It is important to leave room well-ventilated when going out. Do not close all windows, especially kitchen windows. The smoke in my apartment was detected because my kitchen window was opened. My neighbour’s son who was home, smelt smoke and saw smoke coming out of my kitchen window and alerted the gateman. The smoke would have been there until I get home. I don’t know what damage it would have caused. The economy is not smiling, we cannot afford to lose properties now.
