Fire inferno has rocked and destroyed at least 47 shops as well as a church in Ibereko Sawmill, Badagry, Lagos State.
Machines and processed planks worth millions of naira were also destroyed by the inferno which started around 3.30pm on Saturday, July 26, 2015.
It was learnt that the fire was caused by an electric surge, and was further promoted by a chemical substance in one of the shops, which caused the fire to further escalate.
Efforts by a combined team of the Lagos State Fire Service and the state’s emergency management agency helped to douse the inferno around 6pm.
While counting their losses, shop owners stated that the incident was phenomenal, adding that they had no idea on how to find their feet back to the business.
One of them, Isiaq Ibrahim, said, “Two of my machines and planks that had been processed were burnt by the fire. We attempted to remove some of our property, but the fire was much. I lost about N3m property. About 50 shops were destroyed. It was the chemical we normally apply on the planks that aided the fire. But we thank God nobody died.”
A resident of the area, who identified himself only as Segun, said some people sustained minor injuries while scampering to safety.
“We were all confused. We had the fear that the fire might spread to residential buildings. So, we fled our houses. There was no major casualty, except some people who were injured while running,” he said.
The Director of the fire service in the state, Rasaq Fadipe, could not be reached for comments as calls put across to his telephone rang out.
Confirming the incident, the General Manager, LASEMA, Mr. Michael Akindele, said, “We received a distress call around 4.20pm and our men, firefighters, and some other agencies in the state arrived at the area on time with the necessary equipment to handle the incident. About 47 shops were razed. A church adjacent to the sawmill was also affected. However, no life was lost. The fire was put out around 6pm.
“We have already carried out hazard assessment. After compilation, it will be presented to the governor for necessary action.”
