A 103-year-old woman was burnt to death on Friday night when a fire gutted a residential building on Bola Street, off Kadara Street, in the Oyingbo area of Lagos State.
The late-night inferno destroyed several rooms and shops in the building, with goods and properties worth millions of naira lost to the fire.
The fire reportedly started from one of the rooms in the bungalow located at No. 8, Kadara Street, before spreading to other parts of the building. The elderly woman, whose identity was withheld, was trapped in the blaze and died at the scene.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) confirmed the incident in a statement signed by its Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, and made available to Sunday Tribune.
According to the agency, distress calls were received through its 767/112 toll-free emergency lines at about 11:43pm, prompting the activation of the state’s emergency response plan from its Onipanu base.
“Upon arrival of the LRT at the incident scene by 12:13am, it was observed that a residential bungalow with two shops attached was engulfed by fire at the aforementioned location,” the statement said.
LASEMA explained that the fire originated from one of the rooms before spreading to other rooms within the building, adding that the cause of the fire had yet to be ascertained as of the time of filing the report.
The agency said its response team conducted a risk assessment and cordoned off the affected area, while safety and precautionary measures were implemented to prevent the fire from spreading to adjoining buildings.
“Prompt action with adequate intervention was carried out by the LRT, alongside the LASEMA Fire Unit and other responders, to put out the fire,” the statement added.
LASEMA lamented that “unfortunately, one life, a 103-year-old centenarian (name withheld), lost her life to the incident.”
The fire reportedly affected eight units of room-and-parlour apartments, one self-contained mini flat, six shops and several household properties.
The recovered body of the deceased was handed over to her family for necessary action.
NAN
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