8th November, 2019
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
A massive fire has swept through the popular Oko-Baba Sawmill, a slum in Ebute Meta area of Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.
Several shanties are up in flames as residents run helter and skelter trying to salvage their belongings.
Thick smokes invade the atmosphere, accompany with balls of fire hungrily devouring its preys.
Locals are seen trying to put out the fire with bales of water, as officials of the Lagos State Fire Service and other emergency responders are yet to hit the scene.
PM News photo-journalist, Efunla Ayodele who is at the scene says emergency responders are not on site.
‘The fire is so massive and people are trying to put it out with water in plastic buckets,” he says.
Huge crowd has gained access to the scene and forms the colony of onlookers.
An unanimous sympathizer raises the alarm, calling for more hands to prevent the fire from spreading to other areas.
Nosa Okunbor, State’s emergency spokesman says the fire begins from Kano Street in the area, confirming that several shanties have been razed, and that the cause of the fire cannot be ascertained.
“However, the intensity of the fire has spread to the adjoining buildings. No loss of life nor injury sustained but properties worth fortune had been destroyed.
“LRT, LASG fire, Yaba LEMC and Police are responders at the scene of incident working together to curtail the spread of the fire. Operation ongoing,” he adds.