Fire guts storey building in Oke Afa, Lagos
PROPERTY worth millions of naira was destroyed during a midnight fire that gutted a storey building at No. 6, Kayode Adebanji Street, Ashamu Estate, in the Oke Afa area of Lagos State. The Guardian learnt that the fire began, following an electricity spark on Tuesday night, and continued till Wednesday night, even as the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service ( LSFRS) deployed officials to the scene.
A resident of the building said the incident started after the Power Holding Company of Nigeria ( PHCN) restored electricity on Tuesday evening and a switchover was made from generator to national grid.
The resident, who pleaded anonymity, said about 15 minutes after the switchover, there was a spark, which led to the blaze. He said about nine vehicles were rescued from the compound with the intervention of other residents in the area. However, other valuables worth millions of naira were consumed.
Some of the residents praised the efforts of the LSFRS officials, who were deployed to the scene on Wednesday night, but alleged that some officials demanded money, purportedly, to buy chemicals.
Reacting, Head, Public Education, LSFRS, Amodu Shakiru, said: “We can investigate if they asked for money to buy chemicals. There can always be bad eggs."
He blamed fire incidents in the state on the attitude of residents, saying the agency has attended to, at least, 15 cases per day, since the beginning of February 2024. “Our people are still not fire safety conscious. At one time, people blamed harmattan. But the question is, does harmattan cause fire? The answer is no. Harmattan can only spread fire, not cause it,” he added.