Fire Razes Customs Warehouse, 50 Shanties in Lagos

Chiemelie Ezeobi

Exactly 17 days after an inferno gutted two houses at No 2, Ademuyiwa Street in the Ebute Metta area of Lagos, an early morning fire yesterday also gutted 50 shanty structures along Kano Street, at Ebute Metta and destroyed properties worth several millions of naira.

Also, another fire outbreak razed a warehouse located within the premises of the Nigerian Customs Training School, Ikeja, Lagos.

Although the actual cause of the fire, which began at 6.30am was still unknown as at press time, the fire destroyed items like building materials, used tyres, parts all belonging to the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS).

The Commandant in charge of Customs Training College, Lagos, Comptroller Kunle Oyeleke, disclosed that the service would investigate the fire incident which burnt the warehouse containing seized goods.

Oyeleke said: “the raging fire started at 10pm on Friday. The cause of the fire had not been known. The building is used for storage of impounded goods by the Federal Operations Unit of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS). We cannot give the cost of properties destroyed by the fire for now.’’

According to eye witness account, the fire at the customs training school razed a warehouse and all the bottles of wine, building materials, used tyres, paints inside.

Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officer of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), in the South-west region, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, said the affected warehouse contained a building/office.
Farinloye who also confirmed the Ebute Metta incident said most of the houses burnt at Kano street were made of plank and containers. The fire that gutted the shanties was said to have started around 1am yesterday, while the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

Also, so many traders who were affected by the fire, were left to count their losses since the fire destroyed their goods before the fire service men could put it out.