Fire, on Sunday, gutted part of the palace of the monarch of Isheri-Olofin, Oba Wahab Balogun, in the Isheri roundabout area of Idimu, Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the fire, which razed one of the rooms in an eight-bedroom bungalow on the premises of the palace, was reportedly caused by power surge.
It was learnt that the surge occurred when power supply was restored in the community.
When emergency responders, including officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency and residents of the area, stormed the palace to quell the fire, a yet-to-be-identified adult male got choked.
The victim was said to have been taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The spokesperson for LASEMA, Nosa Okunbor, who confirmed the development, said the fire gutted one of the rooms in the palace, adding that the inferno had been extinguished.
He stated, “Upon arrival at the palace of the Oba of Isheri-Olofin at the Isheri roundabout, Idimu, Lagos, it was observed that a room in an eight-bedroom bungalow inside the palace was gutted by fire.
“Further investigation at the incident scene revealed that the fire was as a result of electrical surge when power was restored. The fire was completely extinguished.
“An adult male, who was choked by the smoke while extinguishing the fire, was reported to have been taken to a private hospital.
“Post-disaster assessment was conducted by the team in the presence of some palace officials; there is no threat of re-ignition as the fire was extinguished with copious volume of water.
“Also, the eight-room bungalow did not show signs of structural defects as a result of the fire. The operation has been concluded.”
In another development, fire gutted some cables that were stored under the Cele Bridge on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway area of the state.
PUNCH Metro gathered that when the cables started burning, the owner reportedly fled the scene of the incident.
The intervention by emergency responders was said to have prevented the fire from spreading beyond the scene.
Okunbor said there were no casualties, adding that the fire had been extinguished and dampening down was ongoing.
He said, “Preliminary report on the fire incident at the Cele under the bridge, inward Okota, had it that the fire started from some cables stored under the bridge inward Oshodi.
“The owner of the cables was said to have fled the scene. The timely intervention of the LRT, the LRU Fire and Lagos Fire Service was enough to prevent the fire from spreading.
“The fire has been successfully and extinguished with no casualties and no property razed. Dampening down is in progress by the combined efforts of the LRU and the LASG fire fighters. The operation is in progress.”
The PUNCH