Many people were rendered homeless while properties worth millions of naira were destroyed when fire gutted some make-shift structures on Freeman Street, Ebute Meta in Lagos Mainland Local Government Area of Lagos State, southwest, Nigeria, in the early hours of yesterday.
Lagos Bulletin gathered that the fire started from one of the make-shift structures before it spread to others said to be more than 300 including a Cherubim and Seraphim church.
The real cause of the fire could not be ascertained as there were different opinions on it. While some attributed it to an unidentified Hausa man said to be inhaling a highly inflammable substance which caught fire, others said it may have been caused by candle light as there was power outage in the area at the time of the incident.
One of the victims, Abraham Alabi, an upcoming theatre practitioner, lamented that he had lost all he had laboured for in his life.
According to him, “it was at about 1.30 a.m. and was already asleep when I heard people shouting fire, fire. I ran out and before I could salvage my belongings, it was too late. I cannot say categorically what caused, but I thank God that I did not lose any member of my family.”
He called on the Lagos State government and kind spirited Nigerians to come to their rescue.
Speaking on the incident, Afeez Salami, the councillor representing the area, lamented the damage done by the fire and commiserated with the victims, urging them, especially those who could afford better accommodation, to do so instead of rebuilding the burnt structures.
He noted that high cost of rent was what forced people to live in such inhabitable environment and appealed to the state government to come to the assistance of the affected victims by rehabilitating them.
Another councillor, Isiaka Aremu, said the case of the victims will be tabled before the council chairman, who, he said, sent them to know the extent of damage caused by the inferno.
When Lagos Bulletin visited the area, some of the victims were seen counting their losses and appealed to the state government to assist them in whatever form.
—Paul Sanusi (PM News)
No comments:
Post a Comment