Fire Outbreak Kills 103-year-old Woman
A fire outbreak at a residential building on Bola Street, off Kadara Street in the Oyingbo area of Lagos Mainland, has claimed the life of a 103-year-old woman and destroyed several apartments and shops.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said it received distress calls through its 767 and 112 toll-free emergency lines at about 11:43am on Thursday and immediately activated the state emergency response plan from its Onipanu base.
Emergency responders arrived at the scene by 12:13pm and discovered that a bungalow with two attached shops was already engulfed in flames. The fire was reported to have started from one of the rooms before spreading to other parts of the building.
The exact cause of the incident had yet to be determined as of the time of the report. LASEMA’s Response Team cordoned off the area and carried out a risk assessment to prevent further damage to adjoining structures. Firefighters from the LASEMA Fire Unit and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, supported by other agencies, worked for hours before the inferno was eventually subdued.
The agency confirmed that one fatality was recorded in the incident. The deceased, identified only as a 103-year-old woman, died before rescuers could reach her.
Her remains have been handed over to the family. A damage assessment revealed that the fire affected eight units of room-and-parlour apartments, one self-contained mini flat, six shops, and household properties worth millions of naira. LASEMA said rescue and recovery operations had been concluded and that the fire had been completely extinguished following extensive dampening down. Agencies involved in the operation included the LASEMA Response Team, LASEMA Fire Unit, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the Nigeria Police Force, the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps, and officials of the Lagos Mainland Local Government led by Vice Chairman Adewale Moshood Momo. The Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr. Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, who signed the preliminary report, urged residents to adhere to fire safety precautions and to promptly report emergencies to relevant authorities.
