A fire broke out on Tuesday, engulfing the top floor of a three-story building at Number 2, Ido Oluwo, in the busy Docemo Market area of Lagos Island, Lagos State, marking a tragic incident on New Year’s Eve.
In a separate occurrence, a 33,000-litre diesel tanker caught fire while discharging its content at an adjoining hotel near the Okokomaiko Police Station on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, Ojo area of the state.
Firefighters from the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, supported by other emergency responders, acted swiftly to contain the fires, preventing them from spreading to nearby areas and buildings. Thankfully, no casualties were reported in either incident.
Eyewitnesses reported that the fire at Docemo Market started around 8:45 am, causing extensive damage to properties in the affected area. This marks the second fire incident at the market this year, following an earlier blaze that destroyed goods and property worth millions of naira. After the earlier incident, the market was temporarily sealed off to conduct structural integrity tests on several buildings to ensure safety.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu later provided financial compensation to those affected by the previous fire.
The second emergency occurred around 12:25 pm when the diesel tanker ignited while discharging its content. Firefighters from the Ojo and Ijegun-Egba Fire Stations promptly responded to the scene, salvaging the occupants of the hotel and the police station from the threat posed by the inferno.
Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Mrs. Margaret Adeseye, attributed both incidents to negligence. She explained that the Docemo fire resulted from an electrical surge, while the tanker fire occurred due to a safety infraction by the operator, who failed to allow the necessary cooling-off period before engaging the engine power take-off.
“Fortunately, there were no injuries or casualties. Both fires have been extinguished, and operations have been concluded,” Adeseye stated.