How Fire wrecked havoc at Kirikiri town burning 15 shops among others

An early morning fire has consumed property worth millions of naira and rendered several persons homeless in the Kirikiri area of Lagos.

The fire, which witnesses said started at about 2a.m., destroyed no fewer than 15 shops located around the Okoduwa Street Junction and some part of Dillion Street and a one- storey building on No. 24 Dillion  Street.

The inferno lasted till daybreak despite efforts by the men  of Lagos State Fire Service, to put out the fire. Also, a storey building, a vehicle and about 15 lock-up shops, fully stocked with new and second-hand trailer tyres,  were razed.

Nobody could explain the cause of the fire, not even the Lagos State Fire Service, who arrived the scene at 4a.m. But Daily Sun learnt that the land where the shops were situated had been in dispute between two families.

Some residents of the area alleged that a section of the warring parties might have set the place ablaze, while others attributed the incident to a surge after electricity was restored late in the night.

Residents of the area, who thronged the scene of the fire to assist in salvaging the property said they were unable to do so due to explosion of some substances suspected to be chemical kept in one of the shops.

The residents said the fire was worsened by the harmattan wind, adding that it was the wind that helped the fire to spread to the one-storey building, which shared fence with the lock up shops.

Daily Sun learnt that the situation could have been salvaged if the fire service had responded promptly, as the first fire truck that arrived the scene from the Nigerian Navy Ordnance Depot was unable to contain the fire.

It was also learnt that heavy traffic on the bridge leading to Kirikiri from the Oshodi Apapa Expressway contributed to the inability of the fire truck to access the area.

It was gathered that the traffic was caused by fuel tankers, which had lined up the bridge waiting to lift fuel from a tank farm in Kirikiri town.

It was also learnt that bad road, particularly at the Dillion Street area, also contributed to the inability of the rescue team to access the area. The residents urged the state government to come to their rescue by relocating the tank farm and some of the container terminals in the area.

A resident, Olakunle Adigun told Daily Sun that huge traffic on Dillion Street and the bad road had often prevented quick response in a situation of emergency, calling on government to take steps to address the problems of the roads to save lives in the area.

The fire incident occurred exactly one year after a tanker fire destroyed property at Berger Suya Bus-Stop in Olodi Apapa, not far from Kirikiri town.