Fire injures 7, guts 109 shops in Lagos

No fewer than seven persons sustained varying degrees of injuries in a Sunday night inferno which gutted more than 109 shops and residential buildings in Ijora Area of Lagos State.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the fire was said to have started from one of the shops at the 7up area of Ijora, where black oil was stored.

Confirming the incident, the South-West Zonal spokeman of the National Emergency Maintenance Agency (NEMA), Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, said the affected buildings belonged to the Bayelsa Government.

“About 109 shops and residential buildings were consumed in the fire outbreak at the scene, located in open space belonging to the
Bayelsa State Government besides the 7up Bottling Company, Ijora.

“One person who sustained serious burns was rescued and take to the hospital.

“The fire started from a shop filled with drums of black oil. People are also using the space as residence,’’ he said.

NAN recalls that early in the year, two people were burnt to death in an early morning fire that ravaged no fewer than 10 buildings, including a brothel in Ijora.

The inferno, which occurred on Jan 15, also destroyed millions of naira worth of property.

Several people, mostly sex workers and their customers were also injured during the attempts by occupants to escape from the fierce fire in the brothel.

The deceased persons were identified simply as John and Yaro and they were reportedly sleeping in one of the burnt buildings, when the fire started.

Attempts by fire fighters from Iganmu Fire Service Station to put out the fire were blocked by irate hoodlums, who were reportedly seizing the opportunity to loot.

The fire was said to have started following a power surge from in one of the affected buildings and spread rapidly because of the nature of the wooden houses.