A fire outbreak on Tuesday at Dosumu Market in Lagos Island destroyed 14 buildings and caused four structures to collapse.
Confirming the incident, Ibrahim Farinloye, the Lagos Territorial Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), attributed the cause of the fire to the negligent refuelling of a generator in the penthouse of one of the buildings. Farinloye expressed concern over the challenges faced by emergency responders in accessing some affected areas due to the intensity of the blaze.
“At present, four buildings have collapsed, and 14 buildings have been affected by the fire. We encountered difficulties with water supply initially but managed to resolve the issue by coordinating with the Nigeria Port Authority,” stated Farinloye.
The fire reportedly originated from the penthouse of a building where a generator was being refuelled carelessly, leading to its ignition and subsequent spread to adjacent structures. The presence of numerous generators within the building exacerbated the fire’s intensity.
According to reports from PUNCH Metro, the inferno, which erupted around 10 am on Tuesday, ravaged a three-story building on Jankara Street before engulfing neighboring structures within the market premises.
Providing updates on the situation, Margaret Adeseye, Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, corroborated NEMA’s assessment of the affected buildings. Adeseye highlighted the storage of fuel products in the building’s penthouse, along with chemical materials, as contributing factors to the fire’s escalation.
“The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service have successfully contained a major fire incident involving 14 buildings, with two structures fully collapsed and two partially collapsed. The fire originated from the refuelling of a generator, compounded by the storage of fuel in kegs at the penthouse of a complex housing a printing shop with chemical contents,” Adeseye explained.
As firefighting operations continue, Adeseye emphasized the importance of caution in handling combustible materials to prevent future fire incidents. She reassured the public that measures are being taken to mitigate risks and ensure public safety, with ongoing enumeration of losses and enforcement of preventive measures.
“All state emergency responders, including national and private partners, are collaborating at the scene. The public is urged to exercise caution in handling combustible materials to prevent future incidents,” Adeseye reiterated.