Fire guts Lagos sawmill, shopping plaza

There was pandemonium in Lagos on Tuesday after the Oko-baba sawmill, in the Ebute-Meta area of Lagos State; the Prince Ebeano supermarket in Lekki Phase 1, and some shops in the Idumota area of Lagos Island were gutted by fire.

Goods and property estimated at millions of naira were reportedly lost to the inferno.

Officials of the Lagos State Fire Service were still battling the fire as of press time.

In the Ebute-Meta fire, a resident who identified himself as Olayinka told ThePUNCH that the fire began around 5pm after an electrical spark, adding that more than 25 shanties had been consumed.

He said, “The fire happened on Kadara Street and more than 25 shanties have been consumed. The fire was caused by an electrical spark and I cannot say if there is any casualty for now.”

The Director of the state Fire Service, Rasak Fadipe, said the agency had responded to several fire emergencies, adding that firefighters had been deployed.

He said, “The fires at the Ebeano supermarket at Lekki and the Ebute-Metta sawmill are very serious. Two fire trucks have been deployed at each of the fire scenes.

“At Oju Olobun, Idumota, on the Lagos Island, three shops were consumed by fire.”