Firefighter collapses, lady rescued as fire guts Lagos Supermarket

GOODS worth millions of naira have been consumed in a midnight fire at Globus supermarket along the Festac link bridge in Amuwo Odofin Local Council of Lagos State.

The Guardian learnt that the fire started at about 12: 55. a. m. and paralysed vehicular movements along Apple Junction.

Permanent Secretary ( PS) of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency ( LASEMA), Dr. Olufemi Damilola Oke- Osanyintolu, in a statement, yesterday, said the agency received distress calls via its 767/ 112 emergency toll- free numbers at 12: 55. a. m and activated the State’s Emergency Response.

According to him, the agency responded through its Response Team domiciled at Cappa Base and arrived at the scene at about 1: 15. a. m. He stressed that a firefighter from Lagos Fire and Rescue Service ( LFRS) collapsed during rescue operation and was promptly attended to by Lagos State Ambulance Service ( LASAMBUS) before being transferred to a hospital at Apple junction.

The PS also said a trapped adult female victim was rescued and given first aid in the ambulance before being transferred to the hospital for further medical attention.

He said: “Upon arrival at the scene of the incident, a supermarket belonging to Globus company was found engulfed by fire. The cause is yet to be ascertained.

“Swift intervention of the Agency’s LRT, LRU firefighters, with combined efforts from the Lagos Fire and Rescue Service, was able to curtail the fire from escalating to other parts of the building and its surroundings. “Materials in the store were consumed, thereby increasing its intensity but no lives were lost.”

He added that the building was opened up for proper access by the fire fighters with the aid of a private excavator. In the process of engaging the fire, part of the structure collapsed.

Also, Director, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, confirmed the incident, noting that firefighters were dispatched from Isolo, Ajegunle and Bolade Fire Stations at about 12: 30a. m., during which, an adult female trapped in the building was rescued. She stressed that investigations into the cause of the fire are underway and will be conducted with due diligence.

Meanwhile, LASEMA officers have recovered the body of a 40- year- old lady from beneath a trailer.