LAGOS: 6,700 Traders, 450 Shops Affected In Mandilas Building Fire Outbreak

About 6,700 traders, 450 shops, 30 offices, two hotels and five restaurants were affected in the fire incident that occurred at Mandilas Building, Lagos Island, Lagos State, on Sunday.

The figures, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), were given by the Iyaloja of the Atunwase International Market Mandilas General, Alhaja Adeniji Rashidat while briefing assessors on Monday.

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service has attributed the cause of the fire to “careless welding” during the installation of a generator on the second floor, intended to expand trading space

“The impacted traders are estimated to accommodate about 6,700 traders, 450 shops, 30 offices, 2 hotels, and 5 restaurants according to the Iya Oja of the Atunwase International Market Mandilas General, Alhaja Adeniji Rashidat who briefed the assessors,” NEMA said on Monday.

“It was alleged that the people around did not notice the fire until it was too late before fire service was contacted.”

THE WHISTLER reported on Sunday the fire outbreak which started at about 11:00a.m.

Although the 14-storey building located on Broad Street was damaged up to the 7th floor, there was no record of casualties.

But according to the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), three adult males suffered from choking and were administered first aid treatment by the agency’s paramedics.

The fire also spread to surrounding market stalls at Atunwase International Market, causing damages as the main complex.

It was, however, put out through combine efforts of emergency responders.

On ground on Monday, were officials of Lagos State Safety Commission and Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) to assess the integrity of all buildings at the scene.

All buildings around the scene have been cordoned off to prevent access to the shops for the safety of traders and the public.

Other agencies on ground were, Lagos Fire and Rescue Services, Red Cross, Nigeria Police, Neighbourhood watch, Lagos Island Local Government Sanitation and Lagos State Business District.