Air conditioner caused the fire at my office – Accountant General

An Air Conditioner at the Treasury House caused the outbreak of fire which affected the office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris.

The inferno which is said to have started at the fourth floor of the building located at the nation’s capital, Abuja, burnt upwards upto the first floor.

The timely arrival of the Federal Fire Service and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) led to the quenching of the fire.

Critics including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) claimed the fire outbreak was an attempted by the federal government to cover up wrongdoings because it happened a day after the opposition party asked the government to conduct a forensic audit of the now suspended petroleum subsidy.

But revealing the cause of the inferno, Mr Idris while addressing newsmen in Abuja after inspecting the affected area said the outbreak was caused by a spark from one of the air conditioners in the building.

He assured that the database of all government’s financial transactions were safe although the inventory of what was destroyed in the fire was yet to be taken.

“For emphasis, our data Centre is intact, no harm in any way except for the cooling system which we are now working hard to put back to operation,” Idris said.

“We are also glad there is no casualty,” he added.