The Nation Newspaper

Tag: fire

  • Fire razes shops, storey-building, warehouse

    Fire razes shops, storey-building, warehouse

    Fire razed six lock-up shops beside Apostolic Grammar School in Ketu, Lagos.

    The burnt shops were said to contained snacks, drinks and a refrigerator.

    A resident said the fire was caused by an electrical surge.

    Lagos State Fire Service Director Rasaq Fadipe confirmed that the fire was caused by an electrical surge, saying: “The overheating from one of the refrigerators in the shops might have caused the fire, I am sure if the shop owners had switched off all electrical appliances, people won’t be counting their losses now.”

    Also, fire razed the third floor of a four storey-building beside Savannah bank on Broad Street, Lagos Island.

    An eyewitness stated that the fire started around 4:30am and the floor was said to be stacked with textile materials.

    A warehouse at Adeoba, adjacent to the Nigerian National Petroleum Cooperation (NNPC) in Lekki Epe expressway was also razed by fire.

    Fire fighters from Epe and Lekki combated and contained the fire.

    At press time, the cause of the fire on Broad Street, Lagos Island and Adeoba, Lekki Expressway were not known.

    In a related development, A mass transit bus, yesterday, engulfed in flames at the Eko bridge.

    It was gathered that the incident happened around 1pm.

    An eyewitness said there were few passengers in the bus when it suddenly went on fire.

    He said the passengers including the driver took to their heels when they opened the door after several trials.

    “Before the fire service officials were alerted, the bus had almost burnt completely. When they got to the scene, the fire was contained,” he said.

    The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) officials moved the bus to the other side of the road to avoid traffic.

    Another eyewitness said he doubted if the passengers took any of their belongings, adding: “I can’t say this was what happened because they all ran away. If one passes the bridge, he would think there is a party happening because smells of cooked rice. Bags of rice and books went with the fire.”

    The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Iponri Police Station were at the scene.

    There was no casualty.

  • Fire guts Kano market

    Fire guts Kano market

    FIRE yesterday gutted the multi-billion Naira Singer Market in Kano.

    Goods and cash worth over N3 billion were destroyed.

    The cause of the inferno is unknown.

    Unconfirmed reports blamed a tea seller (mai shayi) and a popcorn maker.

    The Nation learnt that the fire, which started about 4 am, raged for over eight hours, destroying over 2,000 shops, including 1,200 makeshift stores.

    An eyewitness said the inferno was caused by the gas cylinder of a popcorn maker, which exploded. Another source said it was caused by the carelessness of a tea maker (mai shayi), who left a burning charcoal, beside a makeshift shop, close to the market.

    A trader, Alhaji Ado Ibrahim, said: “My shop is opposite the place. When I heard about the fire, I rushed to the market because my house was near. I got here about 6 am and one of the security guards told me the fire started about 4 am.

    “Although I was not affected, I pity the victims because most of them keep money in the market.”

    Our correspondent gathered that the affected section of the market was occupied by traders, who sold sacks, rice, flower, pomade, soft drinks and other consumables.

    The market is located adjacent to Murtala Muhammed Way, opposite Abubakar Rimi Market.

    The Police, Civil Defence, Hisbah and other security agencies cordoned off the area, to prevent hoodlums from looting. Fire service officials battled to put out the inferno.

    The Commander, Immigration Patrol, I.B. Tanko, described the incident as unfortunate.

    He said: “It is unfortunate because Singer Market is a popular market in Kano. The incident is not favourable to Kano and the country. We shall meet leaders of the market to ascertain the cause of the fire.”

    Two of the leaders, Alhaji Imam Yuguda and Alhaji Bature Garba, who claimed over N3 billion goods and cash were lost, said they did not know the cause of the inferno.

    A week ago, Kurmi Market, the oldest market in Kano, was destroyed by fire. There was also an inferno at the furniture section of Abubakar Rimi Market last December.

    President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday commiserated with the victims.

    Buhari, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, was said to be saddened by the destruction of goods.

    Stressing that the President shares in the pain and anguish of hardworking Nigerians, who lost their goods, the statement said he assured those who suffered losses that the Federal Government will support the Kano State government to ameliorate their plight.

  • Retired soldier, siblings lose house to fire

    Retired soldier, siblings lose house to fire

    Fire yesterday razed two buildings in Ajegunle near Ikorodu in Lagos, destroying properties worth millions of naira.

    Nineteen rooms and two shops were affected.

    One of the buildings was inherited by a retired soldier, Master Warrant Officer Moses Dadeowo, and his siblings from their parents, the late Pa and Mrs Ebenezer Dadeowo.

    The fire, which started around 1pm from House 2 on Church Street spread to House 4 and affected some shops in House 70.

    Most occupants were in church when the incident occurred.

    The timely arrival of Lagos State Fire Service men from Alausa Station saved House 70 from being razed. They battled the fire till about 3pm when it was put out. Also on the scene were Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) officials and Ajegunle Police Station operatives.

    Occupants of House 70 quickly evacuated their belongings to the road side as the fire ravaged the attached shops.

    A  downcast Dadeowo told The Nation that he was called from the church that his house was on fire, adding that on getting home, he promptly woke up the children and evacuated them from the house.

    He said he and others lost all their possessions to the fire.

    Dadeowo said the fire might have been caused by epileptic electricity supply.

    He pleaded with the government to come to the aid of his family and other occupants, stressing that he has nothing again except for the dress he wore to the church.

    Another victim, Mrs Blessing Oladunni whose shop was at the back of House 70, said she learnt of the fire while in the church.

    “By the time I rushed back from the church, I was lucky that my neighbours had assisted to evacuate most of my wares; I am grateful to God my goods were rescued,” she said.

    LASEMA General Manager Michael Akindele said nobody was injured, adding that the cause of the fire was electric surge.

    Akindele urged Lagosians to always switch off all appliances when not in use and also ensure that all electrical apparatus are of good standard.

  • Nigeria lost N5.95b to fire incidents in five years

    Nigeria lost N5.95b to fire incidents in five years

    The country lost over N5.95billion to different fire incidents which ravaged parts of the country from 2012 till date, Mr. Femi Young, Executive Director, Safety Consultants and Solution Providers Limited has said.

    Citing statistics from the Federal Fire Service, Young said, in Lagos alone, five major fire incidents led to loss of property valued at several billions of naira just as similar incidents were recorded in other parts of the country.

    The statistics also showed that 185 lives were lost in 470 fire incidents in same year with the oil and gas sector recording the highest incidents. Besides, statistics further revealed that private residences recorded 96 fire incidents that claimed eight lives, while 10 lives were saved in the fire incidents in the period under review.

    Young who lamented that Nigerians have fatalistic approach to safety issues, said it becomes necessary for Nigerians to understand that they could take their destiny in their own hands.

    To stem such incidents, Young has hinted of plans by his organisation to host the maiden West Africa National Fire Protection Association Conference with the theme, ‘Building NFPA Compliant Fire Safety Systems.’

    The conference, he said, will draw leading fire safety experts across the United States of America who would educate Nigerians, especially professionals, on latest developments on safety measures and safety gadgets that prevent hazards, both at the home and the workplace.

    Among experts expected is Russell B. Leavitt. Russ is the Executive of Telgian Corporation, an international firm providing fire, life safety.

  • Woman, 80, dies in Lagos fire

    Woman, 80, dies in Lagos fire

    An octogenarian was burnt to death yesterday when fire gutted her home in Maryland, Lagos.

    The duplex at 5, Tola Adewunmi Street in Wasinmi, Maryland, caught fire around 4am when she and her housemaid were asleep.

    The maid, simply identified as Mama Jossy, who lives in the boys quarters saw the fire and rushed upstairs to rescue her employer, but the apartment was filled with smoke.

    Mama Jossy ran back to seek help. But when sympathisers, neighbours and men of the Lagos State Fire Service got to the scene, the fire had razed the octogenarian’s room.

    The fire was quenched and the octogenarian’s body recovered.

    The victim, a medical doctor, simply identified as Helen was said to have practised in Saudi Arabia but returned to Nigeria last year after her retirement.

    She was said to be preparing to travel abroad on Saturday.

    Her remains have been deposited in a mortuary.

    A security man, who didn’t give his name, said the fire occurred few minutes after power was restored.

    He said her body may be taken to her home town in Delta State for burial.

    An eye witness, Madam Maria Etukudoh, described the fire as “strange”, saying it was the second within a year.

    She added: “She returned to Nigeria for her last child’s wedding and now the incident happened. Mama didn’t take things for granted and whenever she saw an unusual thing, she informed an electrician to make amendment. Also, she did not allow the use of petrol in the house. Only God knows what transpired.”

    Few hours to the incident, the victim was said to have asked her driver to take her to her relatives’ place to inform them about her planned trip.

    “Mama”, who lost her husband about a decade ago, was said to be billed for an operation abroad.

    Lagos State Fire Service Director Razak Fadipe said preliminary investigation showed the fire was caused by power surge.

  • Fire destroy crops worth N50m at Edo community

    The people of Orhua community in Uhumwode local government area of Edo state are now counting their losses following the devastation of their farmlands by a wild bush fire.

    The agrarian community is home to business mogul, Dr Nosa Okunbo and the member representing Uhumwode in the Edo state House of Assembly, Mrs Elizabeth Ativie who was expected to raise the issue at plenary Wednesday. 

    The fire disaster which community dwellers said destroyed ‎ Oil palm, plantain and  Allied plantations,  also devastated subsistence  arable crop farms, leaving many jobless and hopeless.

    Elder Samuel Ozigbo, the oldest man in the community expressing frustration at the turn of events said though no lives and properties were lost, the farmlands destroyed is in the region of N50million.

    He said, “Cassava, Yam, Pineapple, cocoa, Plantain, Oil palm plantations are all gone. We are completely helpless. As you can see, we live in a forest area…our food is gone and there is none to even sell to get money to survive”.

    Elder Ozigbo said the fire came through a neighbouring village, Ozalla adding that many farmers are now in agony because they took loans to expand their farms and repayment ‎is a few months away.

    Community spokesperson, Mr. Francis Ebowe who ruled out sabotage in the incident said, “farming is our only source of income. We sell from the farms and also eat from it and now that all our farms are burnt, we don’t know what to do”.

    He then appealed to the state and federal governments to come to their rescue not by providing such relief materials as mattresses, blankets and assorted building materials but food items and cash support to enable many breadwinners meet their obligations.

  • Fire razes two buildings in Edo varsity

    Fire razes two buildings in Edo varsity

    Two buildings in the Edo State owned University, the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma were Thursday night gutted by fire.

    The buildings housed the departments of Civil Engineering and Philosophy.

    Property worth millions of naira including computer sets, televisions, air conditioners, ceiling fans, office cabinets, refrigerators, office chairs and tables were destroyed by fire.

    The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained as at press time but there are speculations that the office of the examination officer of the Civil Engineering, containing students’ results, examination scripts and records were burnt to ashes.

    Sources said some students claimed they saw somebody pouring liquid substance suspected to be fuel on an air conditioner before striking a match, after which he allegedly ran away.

    The source said many of the properties were not burnt as they were looted.

    Spokesperson for the institution, Chris Adamaigbo, was not available for comments due to a strike action called by the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) chapter of the university.

  • Auto battery sellers count losses in fire

    AUTO battery sellers are lamenting their losses in the fire which gutted their shops and a warehouse three days ago.

    The fire also affected the Ikeja Post Office fence.

    An eyewitness, Ayo, said the fire fighters got to the scene on time, adding that they prevented it from spreading to other buildings.

    “The fire fighters tried. To avoid shortage of water, they passed their hose to the borehole in the Post Office premises. Shop owners and sympathisers also salvaged valuables,” he said.

    “I couldn’t take anything,” said Yusuf Shittu, trader, who lost everything in his shop.

    He said: “I lost 36 car batteries and N10, 000 to the fire. I slept in front of my burnt shop because I couldn’t afford to cry in the presence of his wife. I have been searching the debris for my National Identity Card and the money but I haven’t found them. So many things went with the fire. It is my own I know. The tyre warehouse was burnt completely. Where will they start from? This has made people to lock their shops. I just hinted my wife on phone that my shop was burnt. Even the mobile phone I seized from someone who owed me got burnt. I am now the debtor. I think I prefer robbery to fire.”

    A trader, Chinedu, who sells radiator, said they were all outside their shops when the incident happened, adding: “I couldn’t go home. I watched my shop burn. It is very painful. We were in front of our shops ready to go home until we saw smoke from our direction. We thought it was a small thing until we moved closer. Everywhere was smoke logged. Something else would have happened if we entered. I pray God help us because no human can at this moment when everyone is broke.”

    A printer, Larry, said he couldn’t pick anything from his store.

    “The way things happen in life. All my customers’ job is gone. I don’t know how to tell them. I don’t know if I have to bring all of them to see my burnt shop. If we weren’t there, it is one thing but we were outside. I can’t think straight,” he said.

  • Fire razes 33 shops in POWA market

    Fire razes 33 shops in POWA market

    FIRE on Sunday gutted the Police Officers Wives Association (POWA) market in Ikeja, Lagos, destroying 33 shops filled with foodstuff.

    At the market yesterday, traders waded through the debris of their shops as they counted their losses.

    An eyewitness said the fire was noticed at some minutes past six in the evening, as thick smoke billowed from the lock-up shops.

    “No one can explain the cause of the fire but it was quite much that all efforts to quench it were abortive. This is a foodstuff market like rice, garri, vegetables, palm oil, groundnut oil and others. The fire fighters came and they saved the entire market from burning,” the eyewitness said.

    The incident happened four days after fire razed 200 shops at Ketu Sawmill Market.

    A trader, Madam Amaka, who occupies two shops, said she stocked her shop with foodstuff last Saturday, adding: “I am yet to make profit from the goods I bought. I wish people were around to help me save some of my goods. The bags of rice left have no meaning to me. Even if I intend to sell it, I don’t know who will buy half burnt rice. Where will I start from now? I am a widow and I have children. Just when I thought everything was getting better; this happened. I have lost over a million to this fire.”

    A fashion designer, simply called Ajoke, said she lost everything in her shop, adding: “We were still in shop around 7pm on Saturday. There was no sign or anything. My industrial machines, weaving machines and customers clothes went with the fire. It is very unfortunate. What would I tell my customers? How many materials do I want to return? Only God will save me from this trouble.”

    A cold room operator said she lost two deep freezers to the fire and cartons of turkey.

    Police spokesperson Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent of Police (SP), said no life was lost in the fire, adding that some policemen to have been drafted to secure the area.

    It was gathered that the police have launched an investigation into the incident, and also promised to assist those affected.

    Lagos State Fire Service Director Razak Fadipe said a two-storey building in Borno Way Alagomeji, Yaba, Lagos Mainland, was also razed by fire on Sunday.

    Nineteen fires were recorded across the state on Saturday.

    Also a transformer company commissioned in 2010 by former Governor Babatunde Fashola in Toga-Zanmu in Badagry, was gutted by fire last weekend.

    Sources said the fire started from a burning refuse dump behind the factory. The fire spread to the company and destroyed property worth millions. It was learnt that the fire affected production at the factory.

  • Fire guts Ketu market, filling station

    Fire guts Ketu market, filling station

     FIRE yesterday swept through some parts of Lagos, wreaking havoc in Ketu and Lawanson.

    Some sections of the Jakande Market in Ketu were destroyed by the fire.

    The MRS Filling Station in Lawanson, Surulere went up in flames when a tanker exploded while about discharging fuel.

    The Ketu fire, which started around 4a.m., destroyed shanties, three vehicles and goods.

    The fire started from the plank section and spread to the fairly used tyre and banana sections.

    Most of the dejected traders declined comment. The Babaloja, Chief Taofeeq Adeoye, said he was busy having meetings.

    The Nation gathered that it took emergency agencies about five hours with three fire trucks to contain the inferno.

    Although the cause of the fire could not be ascertained, there were speculations that it might have been caused by electrical surge.

    A fashion designer, Shina, said he was asleep when he suddenly felt hot from within.

    “As I tried to take the key of the vehicle I just bought yesterday, I saw fire. I had no other option than to run for my life. It is very painful. All my machines went. I watched my shop burn. All I worked for went in minutes. The painful part of it is that all the clothes I waited behind to design burnt. How many clothes do I want to buy and refund to the owners?”he said.

    A trader, Muritador, said he just brought in N4 million worth of plank machines last week, adding that he has not started using it.

    He said: “I was still in bed when I received a call. I became destabilised. How I drove to the market was by God’s grace. It is really pathetic. I placed so much on this. Most of us collected loan to stock our shops.”

    Mrs. Rukayat Jinadu, a restaurant operator, said she just opened her canteen on Monday.

    She said she lost gas cylinders, cooking burners, foodstuff, freezers and a generator set to the fire.

    “I am confused. Everything doesn’t make sense to me. I have been left to my fate,” Mrs. Jinadu said.

    A furniture maker, Mr. Semiu Agoro, said he lost seven doors and two machines, adding that he had the intention to deliver the two wardrobes he just completed.

    “I just pray my customer’s understand because when I got to the market, I couldn’t recognise my shop. I have cried and cried but I know it won’t bring my shop back,” he said.

    A trader said if the fire service men were informed on time, it wouldn’t have gotten to that extent.

    He said whenever there was fire outbreak, traders are scared because they think the government may take over.

    “If not for the hoodlums that sleep in the market, most people wouldn’t have taken anything. They were the ones who helped the traders. They kept all they salvaged for the traders. They acted well,” he said.

    Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), General Manager Michael Akindele said there were no casualties in the incident.

    “No life was lost and no injury recorded. But three vehicles and several shops were razed. Personnel of the Lagos State Fire Service were able to contain the fire from spreading to other parts of the market, thereby, reducing the havoc. Emergency workers, the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) and the police responded on time. The fire was heavy because of the inflammable materials like planks and tyres. We will commence post disaster assessment. There is need to put safety measures such as smoke/fire detectors and water hydrant in place to avert such situations,” he said.

    Also yesterday, the government blamed the high frequency of fires on the influx of substandard electrical appliances in the market.

    In a statement, Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations Mr Oluseye Oladejo said preliminary investigation by his office and the State Fire Service, revealed that installation of substandard electrical appliances in most cases trigger fires.

    Oladejo called on the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to beam its searchlight on the quality of electrical appliances coming into the country.

    He urged residents to be more vigilant; go for only quality electrical appliances and ensure that they patronise only qualified electricians for installations.

    The commissioner implored electricity generation (Gencos) and distribution companies (Discos) to look into the power voltage to prevent surges from high voltage which could cause fires.

    The government, he said, would continue do everything within the law to ensure safety of lives and property.

    “The government is not in any way comfortable with the number of fire incidents that have occurred in the last few months and, therefore, government will not look the other way while this increase in fire disasters continues,” he said.

    Oladejo urged residents to be safety conscious and ensure that appliances not in use are turned off to reduce the probability of fires.

    “Fire outbreaks in our homes, markets and offices are totally unacceptable and we must do something about it,” he said.

    Two persons, including an attendant, four vehicles and two building were burnt in Lawanson.

    A huge crowd gathered at the station as rescuers battled to quench the fire.

    The attendant was said to have been burnt while attempting to open the underground fuel storage. The other victim, a resident of a nearby house, was said to be helping to fight the fire.

    The heat from the underground tank is believed to have caused the fire.

    He was said to have fallen from the top floor of his house while he and others were attempting to put out the fire. He was taken away by a government ambulance.

    The incident occurred around 5pm. Residents battled to quench the fire before men of the Isolo and Sari Iganmu fire service arrived.

    Men from the Ninth Brigade belonging to OP Mesa Unit in Mushin, Isolo and Surulere cordoned off the area to allow the fire fighters access to the scene.

    The unit commander, Lieutenant Y.M Gana, said he was on the scene with two patrol vehicles to prevent hoodlums from operating.

    The fire had been quenched at the time of this report.

    An eyewitness said the fire, began when 33,000-litre tanker was about to deposit fuel at the station.

    Eyewitnesses said as an MRS worker wanted to open where the petrol will be deposited before it exploded.

    Eyewitnesses said as the worker felt the heat coming out from underground, as he tried to lock the place, there was fire everywhere.

    It was observed that residents prevented the fire from spreading to other buildings.

    The first floor of a one-storey building on 127, Itire Road, was razed.

    A Keke Marwa operator, said he was leaving the filling station when the tanker was coming in.

    He said:”I just bought N500 petrol and I saw the tanker drive in. The filling station was filled with commuter buses and Marwa. How it happened, I don’t know. It is really painful. I doubt if they were able to take anything.”

    A trader, Bisi Fadipe, said she doubted if it was heat from the underground tank that caused the fire, because she saw some people smoking beside the parked tanker.

    “They all ran for their lives. I am glad their boss wasn’t in his office at that moment because he never leaves his office. Everything went with the fire. I pity the staff that was injured. “

    An eyewitness, Pastor Anibaba, said: “I was sitting in the taxi park with my friends when we heard the explosion. A tanker came to the fuel station and while discharging the fuel to the underground tanks, the fire started, it started from the stations underground tank. Oando is adjacent to the filing station when the fire started they sent its fire fighting truck before the Lagos fire fighting service arrived”.