The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), said on Saturday about 50 shanties were razed by an early morning fire at Orege area of Ajegunle, a suburb of Lagos.
The Public Affairs Officer of LASEMA, Mr. Nosa Okunbor, disclosed this in a statement in Lagos.
Okunbor said the agency received a distress call on one of its emergency lines 767/112, at 01:55 a.m. on Saturday.
He said LASEMA activated the Lagos State Emergency Response Plan and its Response Team to stop the inferno and investigate the cause of the incident.
According to him, the incident occurred at Olaiya, Mechanic Bus Stop by 1 & 2 Hotel, off Orege, Ajegunle.
Okunbor said: “The fire incident occurred at Ajegunle, a suburb of Lagos with large areas made up of wooden shanties mostly occupied by people living in close quarters to each other.
“The fire was reportedly ignited from a forgotten candle by one occupant of the shanty. The inferno engulfed the entire settlement covering approximately one acre of land.
“The fire was put out by the LASEMA Response Team at 3:00 p.m. No life was lost in the incident.
“However, the fire was curtailed from escalating to other buildings by the combined effort of the LASEMA Response Team, the Lagos State and Federal Fire Services.”
