Fire destroys shops, shanties in Lagos, Plateau

Fire incidents have been recorded in Lagos and Plateau states destroying shops, offices and shanties in the process.

In the early hours of Wednesday, a fire ravaged some shops at Alaba Rago in the Ojo area of Lagos State.

The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Damilola Oke-Osanyitolu, confirmed this in a statement obtained.

According to him, the fire, which started around 10:23pm on Tuesday, was brought under control through the swift intervention of the emergency responders.

He however noted that no casualties were recorded during the incident.

“A joint response effort was launched following distress calls received by the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency and the Lagos State Government at 10:23 pm. The emergency response teams from LASEMA and LASG promptly deployed to the incident scene at Alaba Rago, Ojo.

“Upon arrival, responders found several shanty shops engulfed in flames. Fortunately, no casualties or injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation,” the statement partly read.

While noting that the permanent structures at the incident scene were unaffected by the fire, he added that the shanty shops, however, were damaged.

He further stated that the agency’s Dolphin Response Team from Igando and the Lagos State Fire Service and Rescue Service responded to the distress call.

“The fire has been fully extinguished, and dampening down operations have been concluded. A post-disaster assessment was conducted to determine the true extent of the incident. Search and rescue operations have also been concluded,” the statement added.

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In the Jos fire, an eyewitness disclosed that the incident, which affected shops and offices, started around 4:00 pm on Wednesday, prompting a resident to alert the Jos South and Jos North fire services.

“I came out of my office and I saw fire everywhere. I don’t know the actual cause but I was able to contact the fire service from Jos South and Jos North Local Government Areas. They were able to mobilise their people who came and right now, they are trying to quench the fire”, an eyewitness, John Michael, told journalists.

The Chairman of Jos South Local Government Area, Mr Silas Dung, also confirmed the fire saying, “I have just been told of the fire and I’m at the scene of the incident.”

An official of the fire service in Jos, who did not want his name in print, said his men had been deployed to the area to contain the fire and stop it from spreading to other locations.

“Immediately we got the information, our people came and we have been able to put out the fire,” he said.

Reports has it that a similar fire incident occurred last month at a timber market located in the Katato community in the Jos North Local Government Area.

The fire which started in the night affected over 200 people, a majority of whom were carpenters, and left about 107 shops burnt to ashes with goods worth over N1bn destroyed.