Fire guts Alaba market, kills octogenarian in Ikorodu

 

The electronics section of the Alaba International Market, Ojo, Lagos State, was engulfed in flames on Thursday, destroying goods estimated at millions of naira.

This is just as an octogenarian, Michael Olabode, was killed in a midnight inferno which affected a bungalow in the Ikorodu area of the state.

Our correspondent gathered that the Alaba market fire, which started around 6am, consumed nine shops.

The fire was said to have started after power was restored in the area.

After traders tried in vain to put out the flames, they were said to have resorted to salvaging their goods.

As the fire aggravated, a resident was said to have called officials of the Lagos State Fire Service to the scene.

It was learnt that firefighters from the Ojo and Sari Iganmu fire stations responded with 10,000 litres of water each.

An official said, “The fire would have spread to other shops in the market which would have escalated the loss, but for our prompt intervention. The fire was only able to affect nine shops where they sell electronic products.

“We gathered that the fire started after power was restored to the area, so it is possible that one of the traders forgot to switch off an electrical appliance before going home the previous night.”

In the Ikorodu fire, PUNCH Metro was told that a passerby was the first to notice thick smokes billowing out of the building.

It was learnt that a lady and three men, including the deceased, were in the house.

A source said, “They didn’t know what was happening until the passerby raised the alarm that the house was on fire. The men tried to save the old man, but when they saw that they were also getting trapped in the building, they had to let go and save themselves.

“The man was burnt to death. It is possible that the fire was caused by a lit candle because there was no electricity when the incident happened.”

The corpse of the victim was said to have been deposited in a morgue in Ikorodu by policemen from the Ikorodu division.

The Director of the Lagos State Fire Service, Rasak Fadipe, who confirmed the two incidents, decried the level of carelessness of residents.

He said the agency had responded to 64 fire calls from January 1 to 6, adding that fuel stored in residential buildings usually made their job difficult.

He said, “Fire incidents are on the increase. It is important to stress again that people should turn off their electrical gadgets that are not in use. Power is becoming stable and it is risky to leave any electrical appliances that are not in use on.

“Secondly, there is now enough fuel at filling stations. People should therefore desist from the habit of storing fuel in their homes.”

Source