Pandemonium took over Ayodele Awodeyi Street in the Mile 12 area of Lagos State on Thursday as some kegs of fuel kept in a bush near houses in the street reportedly went up in flames as a result of bush burning.
According to reports, residents fought desperately to put out the fire which engulfed about five houses in the said area.
The fire, which started at about 2 pm in the houses behind an Islamic school, was caused by fuel allegedly stored up for use in the Yuletide as a result of the fuel scarcity.
As at press time, some residents were trying to salvage their belongings from the fire, while others with buckets of water tried to put out the fire.
Two women, one of them simply identified as Mama Dele, were seen crying and desperately searching for their missing children.
Another resident, a woman whose name was not given, said, “Where are my two children? Please help me find them. I do not know whether they are in the fire or not. I have not seen them since this fire started.”
Meanwhile, no fewer than 30 men reportedly forced their way into the fire to search for trapped victims.
A resident, Kola Alao, said soldiers attached to the OP MESA had earlier assisted in the rescue mission. According to him, “Nobody can say exactly what caused this fire. The houses are behind an Islamic school. We have many kids staying in the area. But when the fire started, the fuel worsened the inferno, and about eight houses have been affected.
“Some women are looking for their children presently, but we have not seen any corpse in the rubble so far. I only hope that the kids had wandered away when the fire started,” Alao added.
However, The Punch reports that the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, DSP Joe Offor, was not available for comments on the incident as at the time this report was filed.
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