At least 24 rooms were burnt down Wednesday, September 3, 2014 at Ijeh Police Barracks, Obalende, Lagos according to The Punch.
The fire incident was said to have started at about 3am when residents were still asleep.
Residents present varied reports on what caused the fire. While some said the cause was an electric surge from one of the rooms in the barracks, others claimed the inferno came from a generator that exploded.
Many residents, who were observed lamenting their property loss to the inferno, said they were woken up by the raging sound of the fire.
A woman who pleaded anonymity said, “The fire raged in several rooms. We were woken up by the screams of ‘fire fire help help’. Most of us fled our rooms half dressed. Although no life was lost, we have lost property worth millions. We are calling on the government to help us at this time.”
It was learnt that the fire raged till daybreak as residents tried without result to rescue their property.
The Director of the Lagos State Fire Service, Rasak Fadipe, while confirming the incident, said 24 rooms were burnt in the incident.
He said, “It involved a stretch of block in the barracks. The block contains 24 rooms. The fire spread quickly because they used planks to demarcate the rooms. A rifle was recovered from the rubble. A policeman must have brought it home.”
