Fire Outbreak Destroys Shopping Complex In Lagos

A fire broke out and destroyed a one-storey shopping complex occupied by clothes sellers at 1, Amore Street, Ajegunle Boundary, Lagos.

It was gathered that goods worth millions of naira were lost in the incident on Friday early morning.

The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said the agency received an emergency alert around 2:40 a.m. and immediately activated its emergency response plan.

He said LASEMA officials arrived at the scene at about 3:22 a.m. and found the entire shopping complex already on fire.

Oke-Osanyintolu noted that the blaze spread quickly because the shops mainly stored and sold clothing, which easily caught fire.

According to him, preliminary investigations by LASEMA’s response team showed that the fire started as a result of a power surge after public electricity was restored to the area.

Oke-Osanyintolu stated that no injuries or deaths were recorded despite the extent of the damage.

The agency said its team quickly assessed the situation, restricted access to the area and put safety measures in place to protect nearby buildings.

Working together with other emergency agencies, firefighters were able to control and put out the fire, stopping it from spreading further.

“The entire one-storey shopping complex and surrounding shops were completely razed by the fire, with all goods and properties stored therein destroyed,” the agency stated.

LASEMA added that a physical inspection also showed that parts of the structure were damaged, making it necessary to carry out an urgent structural safety check.

Although the main firefighting work has been completed, cooling operations are still ongoing to prevent the fire from starting again.

Rescue and recovery efforts have also been concluded.

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The agency advised that the damaged building should undergo a full structural assessment.

It also called for better fire safety measures and improved storage practices in commercial areas around the location, as well as continued monitoring of the site.

Emergency responders at the scene included teams from LASEMA’s Cappa Base and Fire Unit, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, and the Nigeria Police Force.

KanyiDaily also reported how Goods worth millions of naira were lost after a fire broke out in a multi-storey commercial building in Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos State.