Tragedy struck in two separate incidents in Lagos, yesterday, when a three month-old infant, Abiodun Alabi was roasted to death while 57-year-old Mr. Edwin Nwosu also suffered burnt.
Both incidents occured overnight in Badagry and LASU-Ojo area of Lagos during two separate fire outbreaks.
The Badagry incident occurred at Wazobia Junction, Tako 11, when a nursing mother, who is an occupant of a self contained apartment, went for a vigil, leaving the infant, a female, in custody of her 10-year-old son. She was alleged to have carelessly lit a candle in the apartment.
It was learnt that her husband rarely comes home party being a transporter. Unfortunately, the boy left both his younger one and the candle at home and headed for a neighbour’s apartment to watch television and eventually passed the night with them.
Saturday Vanguard gathered that the candle however burnt out completely and escalated, which led to the outbreak that consumed the entire apartment and roasted the infant to death before help could come. The LASU-Ojo incident where the 57-years-old suffered burns occurred in a storey building at No. 10 Mayegun Street, Franklas Busstop, LASU-Ojo Road when the victim was fuelling a generating set which suddenly went up in flames.
The inferno affected his thighs and limbs but response promptly came from the Lagos State Fire Services. Confirming both incidents, Director of the state fire services, Razaq Fadipe condemned the use of candles for domestic use.
He advised people to go for rechargeable lamps in place of candles: “There are rechargeable lamps which are bright and affordable. We should go for these instead of endangering our lives by burning candles.”
