Lagos: 33 fire outbreaks in 48 hours

Just 48 hours after a seven-year-Old boy,Toeffeek Taiowo, raised the alarm over two buildings being consumed by fire in Ebute Meta area of Lagos State on New Year day, another fire, this time, gutted a storey building on Thursday on Igando Road, Ikotun, Lagos State.
Residents said the fire stated from the apartment at 64, Igando Road, Unity Bus Stop, Ikotun, following an electrical spark at about 10am in one of the four-room apartments.
Two children were rescued from the inferno, which would have caused a major disaster but for the timely intervention of the fire fighters.
The Director of the Lagos State Fire and Safety Service, Fadipe Idowu, expressed concern over incessant fire outbreaks in the state.
Idowu said officials of the service have had to attend to 33 cases between Tuesday and Thursday.
He said: “On Tuesday, we responded to 15 cases of fire outbreak while on Wednesday we responded to 16 cases.
“On Thursday, again, we responded to two cases of fire outbreak – one along Ikotun-Igando Road and one at Ajara Market, Badagry.
“The rise in cases of fire is due to the dry season, which causes fire to burn faster as well as the climatic changes.”
In a related development, the fire incident at 1, Jones Street, Ebute Metta, has rendered several families homeless.
Fire from a cooking stove had spread and consumed two apartments, which could have been tragic but Toefeek, the seven-year-old, raised the alarm and saved his siblings from being killed.
Narrating how the fire started, Toefeek said: “I went to a store to buy things.
“On my way back, I saw fire coming from the ply of wood.
“I screamed and shouted to alert our neighbours to rescue my siblings and my mother who were fast asleep.
“Neigbours came to stop the fire and they saved my family.”
A victim, one Omole, stated that a careless neighbour kept a hot stove close to a generating set, which exploded and caused the fire.
Omole said: “One of our neigbour’s wife carelessly switched on her kerosene stove and kept it close to a generator that was full of petrol.
“She left the house to get things to buy but the petrol caught fire and engulfed the house.
“If not for Toefeek who saw it and the raised alarm, the matter would have been a different story.
“Two buildings were affected but we lost property and our means of livelihood.
“We are homeless at the moment and we need help.”
Five children – Emeka, 12; Ifeanyi, 10; Chinasa, 8; Joy, 6; and Bright, 4 – of the same parents, were burnt to death at 29, Comfort Oboh Street, Kirikiri after a fire from a candle stand spread and burnt their wooden apartment last month.