Two die, 60 buildings, 15 vehicles perish in Lagos fire

Two men on Thursday were burnt to death in a fresh
fire which ravaged the Ijora Badia and Iwaya, Yaba
areas of Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro learnt that while the two victims,
identified as John and Yaro, died in the Ijora inferno,
no life was lost to the Iwaya incident.
The Iwaya fire, however, claimed 35 shops and
shanties, while no fewer than 18 vehicles were burnt.
It was said 25 buildings were razed in the Ijora fire.
Our correspondent gathered that the fire incident in
both areas occurred at about 1am on Thursday and
lasted till about 6am.
When PUNCH Metro visited Ijora Badia, it was learnt
that the two victims were both transport workers, who
had come to pass the night in one of the razed
apartments.
Our correspondent observed that the bodies were put
in two separate wooden boxes, while relatives and
friends crowded the scene.
Twenty seven-year-old John was said to be from the
South East, while Yaro, 32, hailed from Jos, Plateau
State. Both deceased did not have their families in the
area.
Policemen from the Ijora Badia Division and men of
the Lagos State Fire Service were also said to have
arrived the area at about 3am to curtail the fire.
One of the affected residents, Mr. Gbenga Ojajuni,
who lost a shop and a five-room apartment, told our
correspondent that the inferno started from a power
surge.
The man, who spoke in Yoruba, said, "We had not had
constant electricity in the area for months, but three
days ago, the power supply became regular. At about
1am, there was a surge in a shop, and the fire started.
Most of us were sleeping.
"By the time we became aware of the incident, several
buildings were ablaze.
"We mobilised ourselves and tried to extinguish it. We
did not realise that two men were trapped in a room.
It was after the fire had gone down, and we were
clearing the debris, that we saw them.
"The two men were transport workers, and they were
sleeping in the same room. The fire consumed our
property and the goods in our shops. As I speak with
you, we have nothing left."
Our correspondent observed some affected residents
and shop owners trying to salvage their property from
the rubble. The rest were observed lamenting their
fate as they watched as smoke billowed from the
rubble.
In Iwaya, PUNCH Metro gathered that the inferno
razed no fewer than 35 shops and shanties.
Our correspondent also counted 15 burnt vehicles in
the area, including a mass transit bus.
The residents were seen wandering in the rubble and
recounting their losses.
A man, Mr. Yekini Azeez, told our correspondent that
his commercial bus was one of the burnt vehicles,
adding that he suspected that the fire incident in Iwaya
was the handiwork of some hoodlums.
The Lagos State police Public Relations Officer, DSP
Kenneth Nwosu, confirmed the fire incidents and the
death.
He added that the police provided the security, while
the fire servicemen put out the fire.
He said, "There were cases of fire outbreaks on
Thursday in the Ijora Badia and Iwaya areas.
Policemen were deployed in the areas to aid the
firefighters to extinguish the fire. Two persons were
burnt beyond recognition."
The Director of the Lagos State Fire Service, Rasak
Fadipe, said his men from the Isolo Division were
deployed in the Ijora Badia area to assess the situation.
He said, "When our men from the Isolo Division got to
the scene, they met the police from Ijora Badia on
ground. They told us that it was makeshift structures
that the fire ravaged. So, the police advised us to go
back because the fire was already extinguished.
"In Iwaya, there was no life lost, but 17 vehicles were
burnt while property worth millions of naira was also
razed."