There was panic and lamentation on Wednesday in Shagari Estate, Ipaja area of Lagos State after a building went up in flames, leading to the death of a family of five.
The victims have been identified as two teenagers, two female adults and one male adult.
The Eagle Online gathered that the fire, which started at about 1am, was caused by a candle lit in the house of the deceased family members.
The Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Razaq Fadipe, explained that the fire would have spread to a nearby building if not for the quick intervention of seasoned fire fighters on ground.
Fadipe further said that fire fighters used thousands of litres of water before the fire could be contained.
His words: “It was around 1.39am that we received a distress call that a three-bedroom building, located behind a two-bedroom house, was on fire. I deployed men from Ikotun Fire Station at the scene but due to the intensity of the flames, we had to call for back up from Agege Fire Station, which sent another truck with 10,000 litres of water.
“We were able to put out the flames and on getting into the building, we discovered the burnt corpses of two male teenagers, two female adults and one male adult. The police have recovered the corpses.”
Fadipe implored members of the public to cultivate the habit of putting out a lighted candle before going to bed.
People should also make sure they do not put lighted candles on top of wooden objects.
According to him, people should further learn to alert the fire service immediately there is a fire outbreak as this would increase the possibility of saving lives and properties.
Police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, confirmed the incident, adding that the matter was under investigation at Gowon Estate Police Division.
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