There was a fire incident at a shopping plaza located on the Broad Street area of the Lagos Island area of Lagos State which destroyed textile materials and fashion accessories worth millions of naira.
Additionally, a section of the Skye Bank branch in Ikeja was also gutted by fire which destroyed some property.
The inferno at the Lagos Island shopping plaza started from the second floor of the three-storey building, around 8.55am after a power surge.
Punch reports that workers at the plaza were said to have made frantic efforts to put out the fire before inviting officials of the Lagos State Fire Service and men of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency.
Speaking about the incident, a firefighter with the state fire service, who preferred anonymity said, “It is a three-storey shopping plaza where they sell female fashion items like bags, shoes and other accessories. The fire started from the second floor and was caused by an electrical surge. We were able to curtail the spread quickly.
“Firemen from the Onikan, Sari Iganmu and Alausa stations responded with 10,000 litres of water each.”
Fortunately, no casualty was recorded according to the General Manager of LASEMA, Michael Akindele.
“No life was lost and there were no injuries. Traders in areas not affected moved out their goods; everything is under control,” he added.
On the other hand, the fire at the Ikeja bank started from the server room of Skye Bank around 10.50am.
The timely intervention of firemen from the Ikeja fire station helped calm the inferno from getting out of hand.
A firefighter whose name was not disclosed said: “They called the fire service on time and that was what saved the day. The fire started from their internet server room. There was a spark, which started a fire.
“But we were able to stand with them till the problem was fixed and banking operation resumed without much delay.”
The Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Fire Service, Amodu Shakiru, urged residents to be employ absolute carefulness.
He said, “Both fire were caused by electrical upsurge and that is why we always tell people to be cautious.
“You can use the back of your hand to feel the heat of your electrical gadget. When it is hot, you should know it is a potential hazard.”
