by The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has revealed that a fire outbreak resulting from a gas explosion has destroyed a 14-room building, leaving 11 families homeless in Lagos. The incident took place at 1, Odubanwo Street, off Olaniyi Street, Gbinrinmi in the Ojokoro Local Council Development Area.
The agency reported that the incident occurred on a Sunday afternoon and resulted in a critical condition for a four-year-old girl named Faridat Shittu, who is receiving treatment at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH). Additionally, three relatives of Faridat are undergoing treatment for burns at the hospital.
According to NEMA, the grandmother, who suffered severe pain, explained that a gas explosion resulted from an attempt to control a cooking oil flame while frying meat, leading to the catastrophic incident. Community members successfully rescued the four-year-old girl, but the entire building, including shops, collapsed due to the intensity of the explosion, rendering 11 families homeless.
Pa Femi Odubanwo Solomon, the landlord, shared that neighbors saved him from being trapped in the incident, and he is currently seeking refuge in a nearby church.
NEMA also addressed another fire incident at the Sawmill area of the state on the same Sunday, where numerous shops and vehicles were destroyed. The statement indicated that about 100 plank and building material shops, 18 recycling of iron/steel shops, 19 diesel lister generators, 34 different types of motorcycle machines, five 14-seaters buses, three cars, and two trucks were affected in the massive market fire at Awori bus stop behind GTB Bank, Abule Egba, Lagos.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported in the market fire incident. The Chairman of Ojokoro LCDA and the medical team were actively providing various assistance to the victims of both incidents in the affected areas.
