Lagos Warehouse Fire Destroys Electronics Worth Millions

A fire destroyed several million naira worth of goods at an electronics warehouse on Sunday morning in Abule Osun located in Lagos State.

The fire started around midnight and destroyed the warehouse, which contained thousands of refrigerators, TVs, generators and other household items, as well as a forklift. The reason for the fire has not been revealed by the authorities. No casualties were reported following the fire.

The firefighters responded to the incident quickly, stopping the fire from spreading to nearby buildings, including a gas station, tankers, or other warehouses.

In a statement issued by the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), the head of its public affairs unit Nosa Okunbor confirmed the fire incident. He revealed that the agency received distress calls through its toll-free emergency lines at 12:15 a.m. and the officials arrived at the location in 25 minutes.

"The major warehouse has been severely damaged by the fire. However, through the effective collaborative efforts of the agency's LRT, LRU Fire Unit, the Lagos State Fire & Rescue Service, the Federal Fire Service, and other primary responders, the fire has been contained and prevented from spreading to adjacent structures, including other warehouses, a gas station, diesel tankers, expatriate quarters, and other adjoining buildings," he said, Punch reported.

A worker said that the police and military personnel were also sent to the scene because there were reports of theft by some of the workers.

"We were in the store when some of our colleagues alerted us that a fire had started in a part of the store. We started looking for a way to stop the fire at that moment. While some of us were doing that, a few others broke into the offices and started stealing foreign currencies from our employers," the worker said.

Some of the suspected thieves who were caught in the act were being questioned by soldiers at the gate. One of those arrested, identified as Ali Baba, was seen being held by his trousers and briefly taken outside by the soldiers to help identify other suspects involved in the theft.

A customer who bought scraps from the warehouse said Ali Baba had been with the company for over a decade and shared a very close relationship with his employers.

"He was very young and it has been about 10 years when he arrived here before he rose to the position of a supervisor. The way he was handled by the soldiers showed he is among those held by the officers," the customer added.

Another eyewitness named Usman Shehu said no one knew how the fire started. However, he added, the moment he and others on the scene saw the fire, they ran to check if there was water to put out the blaze, but could not find any.

"This place was built by the BHM and they ran a series of pipes that supply water around the warehouse. But when the incident happened, even our employers tried to check if there was water but could not find any," Shehu said.

A source at LASEMA confirmed that officials found there was no fire hydrant on the warehouse premises.