The News Agency of Nigerian reports that the plaza is surrounded by several important business premises, which included the Union Bank, Diamond Bank and the United Bank for Africa.
NAN also observed that the plaza, which was being used as a wholesale and retail outlet for shoes and bags, is directly beside and attached to Union Bank building.
Some eyewitnesses, who spoke to NAN, said some people, who jumped out from various floors of the burning plaza to escape the fire, were carried away dead.
Mallam Hamza Abdullahi, a trader in the market, told NAN that he saw three dead bodies and five people, who were wounded.
“People were shouting and jumping down from up stairs. I saw a woman dead with her skull open,” he said.
Adewunmi added,Mrs. Florence Adewunmi, a staff member of the Lagos State Ambulance Mobile Intensive Care Service, stationed at the scene told NAN that some victims had been stabilised and transferred to hospital.
“There are several casualties. We got a distress call at about 10am that there was a fire outbreak at Balogun, behind UBA.
“We proceeded here and learnt that they have rushed some people to General Hospital, Lagos, but we met some casualties on the ground.
“The patients jumped from the second, third and fourth floor and had fractures and varying degrees of injuries.
One of shop owners, who deals on female shoes, Mr Nonso Christian, told NAN that he came to the plaza at 10am and met it on fire.
“I met the plaza on fire and I tried to go in to bring out my goods but I couldn’t because the fire is too much.
Several other shop owners, who were wailing while watching the fire, declined comment. One of them simply said “we are sad, this hard economy. Where do I start from?’’“My shop is on the second floor and I just re-stocked on Monday. I don’t know what to do because the second floor is still on fire,” he said.
A security man attached to Union Bank, Mr. Umoru Monday, told NAN that the fire started a few minutes before.
That's a colossal loss. Too bad d fire fighters couldn't extinguish it b4. It killed people. Have you heard the New Nigerian National Anthem? Anticipate #PromiseLand.
ReplyDeleteHmmm,,terrible,,lagos state govt collect huge sum as tax from traders,,see how jam packed the market is.....yet no stand by fire fighting department....what a great lost of life m property....this is really painful
ReplyDeleteSo sad, this is very bad
ReplyDeleteSo sad terrible loss
ReplyDeleteHmmm this is becoming too much people effort are just been waste for rubbish
ReplyDeleteHmmmm, what is the cause of the fire,so no one has an extinguisher to start battling with the fire before the spreading, Haba this is a huge loss
ReplyDelete