Lagos Fire Kills 7-year-old Boy, Destroys Goods

Rebecca Ejifoma

A seven-year-old boy was yesterday killed in the inferno that razed  two bungalows in the Ketu area of Lagos.

A twin fire incident rocked the Leisure Mall on Adeniran Ogunsanya Street, Surulere, beside Shoprite, destroying goods worth several million. The fire outbreak, which claimed the little boy’s life, occurred at 19 Adekanbi Street off Alli Street, Mile 12 in Ketu.

Reports have it that rescuers could not save the child due to a delay in a distress call to fire service officials.

The Director of Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, confirmed both incidents. She added that they recovered the male child’s body from the affected building.

Adeseye said the boy was suspected of having died before the fire spread but was later confined and eventually subdued.

Meanwhile, the director noted that the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service doused the flames at the Leisure Mall in Surulere.

She also acknowledged the effort of the Sari-Iganmu and Ajegunle fire crews of the agency to forestall a disaster in the prestigious mall with thick fog resulting from the audio-visual sound production materials of the cinema.

“The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained as it was confined to the first floor by the right wing of the mall where the flames erupted. The Federal Fire Service, Ojuelegba Station was also in attendance, and no injury or death was recorded,” she assured.