Two rescued as fire razes house in Lagos

Two adult men have been rescued from a fire that engulfed an eight-room bungalow on Onitire Road, Itire, Lagos, with one of them sustaining burn injuries while attempting to save an elderly man.

The fire, which occurred at 43 Onitire Road, near Smith Bus Stop, also spread to a three-bedroom flat on the upper floor of an adjoining two-storey residential building.

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, October 13, by its Senior Public Affairs Officer, Fadairo Maria.

According to the agency, the emergency call was received at about 9:10 p.m., while firefighters arrived at the scene at 9:35 p.m. and immediately commenced firefighting and rescue operations.

The agency said a 75-year-old man was rescued alive from the bungalow, while a 42-year-old man sustained burns in his attempt to rescue the elderly man, who uses a wheelchair.

The statement added that the injured man was subsequently taken to Gbagada General Hospital by officials of the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) for medical attention.

The agency noted that “the bungalow and its contents were severely damaged by the fire, while the affected section of the two-storey building and its contents sustained minor damage.”

On the possible cause of the incident, the fire service said, “Preliminary assessment suggests that negligence resulting to an electrical surge may have caused the incident; however, the exact cause remains subject to further determination.”

The Controller-General of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Abimbola Adeseye, urged residents to take precautionary measures to prevent electrical fires.

According to the statement, Adeseye advised residents to “ensure that electrical installations are properly maintained, avoid overloading electrical sockets, and engage qualified electricians to inspect and repair faulty electrical systems.”

The agency urged members of the public to use its toll-free emergency lines, 112 or 767, or the Lagos Fire hotline, 08033235891, to report fire incidents.