CITIZENS COMPASS– ONE body was recovered dead while seven persons were injured on Tuesday, when fire gutted 580 shops at 32, Gbajumo Street in Balogun Market, Lagos State.
Property which monetary value cannot be quantified were destroyed during the inferno which started at about 10am.
According to eye witnesses’ accounts, the inferno started from the pent house of a five-storey and extended to the fifth floor used for storage by shop owners.
An eye witness who identified herself as Iya Sadia said the building could not easily be accessed for emergency services due to the fact that many buildings in the area are clustered and this aggravated the situation as an adjourning three-storey
building at Number 24 which housed a branch of Union Bank was also engulfed by fire.
Building collapse
The trader said the intensity of the inferno greatly affected the fifth and fourth floor of the five-storey building which partly gave way after the fire was completely put out by the State and federal fire stations.
Looting galore
Citizens Compass reports that while shop owners were trying to salvage their wares at the scene of the incident, some street urchins popularly known as Area Boys seized the occasions to loot and cart away the wares.
Iya Sadia said the street urchins disguised as sympathisers who came to assist the traders to salvage their wares. ” However, they diverted some of the items before the owners could realise what was happening. ” She said.
Confirming the incident, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service in a statement signed by the Director Adeseye Margaret said the fire was under control.
The statement titled, “Fire at Balogun under control’ reads ” The ill-famous Fire outbreak which occurred at about 09:37 hours Tuesday, has been put out by the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service with complimentary efforts of emergency responders.
” The Fire which emerged from topmost floor of a five storey building at no 32, Balogun Street, Lagos and quickly spread to a closely knitted three storey building at no 34, Balogun Street which houses an old generation bank was however curtailed from spreading to other adjoining structures containing two new generation banks and trading stores.
” The scenario which involved combustible female shoes and sandals was agog with traders salvaging their wares and bystanders trying to catch the glimpse. The usually clumsy terrain quickly became inconvenient and created impediment for rapid Firefighting operations which is now at dampening down of pocket of Fires within the affected structures.
Also confirming the incident was the Coordinator, Lagos State Territorial District, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ibrahim Farinloye who was at the scene of the incident.
Farinloye in his updates at about 2.12pm, said, ” The 32 Gbajumo street fire has been brought under total control.
The building from Pent floor used as store to 5th and 4th floors have shown signs of falling due to the heat.
Federal, State and LRU are on ground.
No injuru
” The fire was said to have started around 1000 hours. The fire also affected a 3 Storey building besides the 5 Storey building. The 3 Storey building was completely burnt down
He added that, ” 3 4 and 5 of the 5 Storey building including the Pent floor. ‘
One dead, seven injured
A trader, Chukwu Nonso said seven persons were injured while one person lost his life to the incident,’ ‘One body was recovered while seven people were injured.”
Traders lament
At the scene of the incident were victims of the inferno who lamented that the building could not be easily accessed by the fire fighters.
One of them, Gladys Eberesaud that the traders pay Millions of Naira to acquire the shops but local government council issue tickets to road side traders who have blocked the access roads with wooden structures.
She said the traders have protested this at Alausa without effect unfortunately, their complaints were confirmed today as fire figgters could not access the building on time.
N3m per shop
” We pay millions of znaira to access these shops. For instance, it costs us about N3m to acquire a shop but the local government collects N100, 000 from road side traders who errect tables, umbrellas and shanties to block the access roads.
” We have draen the attention of both the council and state government to this but nothing was done. If not fir the obstruction, fire figgters would have easily accessed the building. ” She said.
580 shops razed
The chairman of the traders in the five – torey building asserted that 350 shops were in the building while the three-storey
building housed 230 shops making it a total of 580 shops that were affected by the inferno. ‘
On how the inferno was noticed, he said, trading activities was ongoing when someone who went to the fifth floor raised the alarm and we used fire extinguishers to fight it unfortunately we could not do much due to the intensity of the fire.
‘ ‘We dialed the emergency numbers and fire services rushed to the scene but they could not easily access the scene. They had to park their vehicles in far away places before they could carry out emergency services.
‘ ‘This delayed the emergency services and the fire ignited the more.” He said.
The Director of the state fire service, Margaret Adeseye in a statement, said only five persons were injured.
She said no death was recorded, ” The operations without any casualty however recorded minor injuries to about five persons who were treated and discharged on the spot by the medical emergency.
” The cause of the Fire is yet to be ascertained as the affected structures are under examination to test their stability or otherwise.”
One of the traders, Fidelis Okonkwo said his colleagues were able to move their goods before the inferno spread, ” It affected more than four buildings including two banks; Access and Union but many of us were able to move our goods on time. ”
Arrest
It was learnt that four suspects were arrested in connection with looting and carting away of items at the scene of the incident.
Confirmation of building collapse
In his Situation Report, the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu said, ” on the fire outbreak at Balogun street, Lagos Island.
The fire has been curtailed to just the building and a Union bank building by the side.
” However, a section of the building collapsed due to the high intensity of the fire on the structure.
” The agency’s excavator has been deployed to the scene so as to bring the building to ground zero.
”Challenges at the scene are stemming from CROWD CONTROL. Members of the public are encouraged to allow responders carry out their work while reinforcements from officers of the RRS and Neighbourhood Watch are urgently required’ ‘
