Fire Guts 3-Storey Building In Lagos Island, 5 Injured

Five persons were injured when fire gutted the third floor of a three-storey building on Lagos Island at the weekend.



Fifteen rooms on the floor were destroyed with properties worth thousands of naira.

The incident occurred at 9 and 7A Obadina Street, Off Ali Street, Lagos Island, southwest Nigeria.

P.M.NEWS learnt that no life was lost during the fire, but about five residents reportedly sustained injuries in their attempt to escape.

A man who appeared to be the landlord of the building warned tenants not to speak with journalists but one of the tenants who defied him, told P.M.NEWS on condition of anonymity that the fire started from an apartment on the third floor of the building.

P.M.NEW learnt that the tenant using the room was not around when the fire started.

The tenant said he did not know the cause of the fire, but suspected an electrical spark inside the room.

P.M.NEW gathered that before the residents could force the door open, the air conditioning unit and the gas cylinder of a refrigerator in the room exploded.

When our reporter visited the scene, smoke was billowing from the burnt household items, including refrigerators, televisions, air condition, chairs, beds and mattresses.

“We contacted the firemen at the nearby Moloney Street at, Lagos Island, but they said they don’t have any vehicle and those at Eti-Osa said they have no water.

“The ones at Orile Iganmu later responded after the third floor of the building had been completely razed with all the properties destroyed. We must commend the Orile firemen for responding to our distress call and putting out the fire before it could consume other buildings within the vicinity,” he said.

Another resident told our reporter that all his properties were destroyed by the fire.

“ I could not remove a pin from my apartment as all the properties I laboured for years to acquire got burnt in the fire,” he stated amid tears.

A resident told P.M.NEWS that the third floor of the building was recently added to the building, alleging that the contractor used poor building materials.

Following the incident, some concerned residents have called on the state government to investigate the condition of the building to prevent a collapse in the future.