Three die, over 20 shops destroyed in Mile 12 fire

An early morning inferno on Friday swept through a section of the popular Mile 12 market in Lagos, roasting three persons to death and destroying over 20 fully stocked shops.

Two others who sustained varying degree of injuries were initially rushed to the Lagos State Emergency Centre at the Toll-Gate area of Ikosi before being taken to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, because of their critical condition.

Eyewitness, Iyabo Akinjide, a labourer in the market, told Saturday PUNCH that the fire started around 5:30am after an electricity cable sparked and fell on a bus which immediately burst up in flames. The fire escalated when it caught drums of petrol and diesel meant for sale placed in a part of the market.

Fire fighters from the Lagos State Fire Service, Alausa, Ikeja, worked rigorously to put out the inferno. They arrived the scene a few minutes past 6:00am and were at work until the fire was finally contained around 8:30am.

Commandant Oladipupo Olumuyiwa, who led a team of Red Cross from the Kosofe Division, confirmed three deaths to Saturday PUNCH. He said the team rushed down to the scene immediately the information of the fire reached them. Two of the corpses that were burnt to ashes were taken away in an ambulance while the third had earlier been removed by rescue workers.