103-Year-Old Woman dies as fire razes residential building in Lagos

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has confirmed the death of a 103-year-old woman following a fire outbreak at 8 Bola Street, Oyingbo, in Lagos State.

The Permanent Secretary of the agency, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday.

According to him, LASEMA received a distress call at 11:43 a.m. via the 767/112 emergency lines, prompting the immediate activation of its response team from the Onipanu base.

Emergency responders arrived at the scene at about 12:13 p.m., where they found a residential bungalow with two attached shops completely engulfed by fire.

Preliminary findings indicated that the fire started from one of the rooms before spreading to other sections of the building, though the exact cause of the outbreak had yet to be determined.

Oke-Osanyintolu said LASEMA officials swiftly carried out a risk assessment, cordoned off the area and implemented safety measures to prevent the fire from spreading to neighbouring structures.

He added that a joint operation involving the LASEMA Response Team, LASEMA Fire Unit, and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service successfully brought the inferno under control.

The fire reportedly affected eight room-and-parlour apartments, one self-contained mini-flat, six shops, and destroyed several properties.

The remains of the deceased woman were recovered from the scene and handed over to her family, while rescue, recovery and dampening-down operations were concluded.

Responders at the scene included personnel from LASEMA, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the Nigeria Police Force, the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps, and officials of the Lagos Mainland Local Government.