Fire engulfs sections of storey building housing hospital in Okota

A storey building housing a medical centre at Ago Palace way in Okota area of Lagos State was engulfed by fire Friday evening.

It was gathered that the inferno was caused by a power surge which led to a spark when public electricity power supply was restored.

Confirming the incident, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA , Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, in a statement on Saturday said the agency had successfully contained the raging fire. 

Oke-Osanyintolu noted that the agency activated the state’s emergency response plan and its response team from Oshodi, following distress calls received on its 767/112 Emergency Toll-Free Lines at 18.29hrs on Friday.

“Upon arrival at 18.50hrs, LASEMA’s Eagle Response Team discovered that sections of a storey building which housed a hospital were being gutted by fire at the aforementioned address.

“Preliminary investigations conducted by LASEMA’s Eagle Response Team revealed that the immediate cause of the inferno was a power surge which led to a spark when public electricity power supply was restored,” Oke-Osanyintolu said.

He said that no lives were lost nor injuries recorded due to the incident.n

Oke-Osanyintolu noted that the fire was being contained through collaborative efforts of the LASEMA Response Team Fire Unit and other responders, to prevent it from spreading to adjoining buildings in the area.

“The fire is still raging and responders are battling to put it off.

“Response and Recovery Operations are in progress,” Oke-Osanyintolu said.

He listed emergency responders at the scene as including the LASEMA Response Team, LASEMA Fire Unit, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Lagos Neighbourhood and Security Corps and the Nigeria Police Force.