7th January, 2016
Kazeem Ugbodaga
An octogenarian has been consumed in an early morning fire tragedy in Ikorodu area of Lagos, southwest Nigeria.
This is coming as the Lagos State Government disclosed that 66 fire incidents had been recorded between 1 and 7 January, 2016.
Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Rasak Fadipe confirmed to P.M.NEWS that an 80-year-old man, Michael Olabode was burnt to death in a fire incident in his bungalow apartment at 24, Michael Olabode Street, Okeriya, Ikorodu around 6.55am on Thursday.
He said it was a passers-by who was going to work around 4.00am who alerted occupants of the bungalow of an outbreak of fire as he saw smoke billowing from the apartment while the occupants were still asleep.
According to him, the octogenarian was consumed in the unfortunate inferno, whose cause could not be ascertained as at press time.
Fadipe, however, disclosed that in the last seven days of the New Year, 66 fire incidents had been recorded in the state.
He said on Wednesday alone, about 12 fire calls were responded to while fire consumed nine shops at the popular Alaba International Market.
Of the Alaba Market fire, Fadipe said two fire stations, Ojo and Sari-Iganmu responded with two tankers with 10,000 litres of water each and were able to prevent the fire from wreaking more damage apart from burning nine shops, with goods worth millions of naira destroyed.
He said the harmattan period and nonchalant attitude of Lagosians was responsible for most of the fire disasters in recent times, adding that power surge from electricity was also one of the reasons for fire outbreaks.
He advised Lagosians to take precautionary measures to avert fire disasters in their domains.
“Lagosians must make sure they switch off electrical appliances before leaving their offices. They should not store fuel in their houses. They should purchase the fuel they need at a particular point in time rather than buying large quantity and storing them. They should also avoid bush burning and grass burning because of the harmattan period,” he said.
On 4 January, the fire service reported that an overnight fire destroyed a hotel at 76, Okunola Street, Okunola Bus stop, Egbeda area of Lagos, putting the total fire responded to that day at 17, excluding a fire incident at Emirate Hostel, opposite University of Lagos gate.