Philip Nwosu
An early-morning fire yesterday destroyed property worth millions of naira in the Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos.
The fire, according to witnesses, started at a warehouse located at 78, Benstar Close, around the Monkey Village area, where items suspected to chemicals were stored.
Witnesses said the chemicals had been stored in the warehouse for nearly a year and residents did not question what type of chemicals were there.
It was gathered that residents observed smoke coming out of the store house of the chemicals in the early hours of Wednesday, raising fears that something terrible was about to happen.
Suddenly, at about 7am, a broke out from the warehouse, sending the occupants of the building scampering for safety and rushing to save some of their personal belongings.
A lot of people living in the building were unable to save their property before the first explosion rang out from the warehouse, which was a stone’s throw from the Nigerian Navy’s Mammy Market in Navy Town.
Shortly after fire fighters from the Ordnance Depot of the navy arrived the scene, alongside the fire team of the Sun Publishing Limited, the second explosion went off, followed by another, which brought down a section of the building.
The Lagos State Fire Service, which was called by some residents of the area, could not arrive the scene early enough because of the heavy traffic at the Mile 2 area, through Maza Maza, the only access route to Monkey Village.
At press time, most residents of the building and other adjourning buildings had been evacuated.