Residents of Aroloya Street, Lagos Island,yesterday, called on the state government to save them from imminent fire from the smouldering rubble of a collapsed building in the area.
They said the smouldering rubble of the three-storey building which went down after it caught fire on Monday, could spread to nearby buildings if something was not done urgently.
A 12-year old boy lost his two legs in the incident, which according to the residents, recorded no other casualty.
One of the residents said: “The boy’s legs were crushed by falling debris while he was helping to salvage property from the building.
He is alive but his legs have been amputated”.
The residents also complained of the environmental pollution from the rubble and urged the government to urgently find a lasting solution to prevent another disaster.
Mr Kolawole Bamidele, a landlord, however, commended the swift response of the fire brigade officials when the incident occurred.
He said that the burnt building currently constituted dangers to residents and their property, adding that “we are aware of the efforts of the government when this building collapsed, but right now we are in a more hazardous situation.”
Another resident, Bola Fagbewesa, said the smoke was becoming unbearable and called on the government to ensure that the fire was totally put out before it constituted a health problem to residents.
She said: “This ugly incident has added to the environmental problems in this area. Before now, we were faced with the problem of blocked drains and heaps of refuse, which breed mosquitoes.� Fagbewesa called on the government to address the problem of frequent fire outbreaks in houses and public buildings in the state.
“Government needs to be proactive in handling fire disasters in the markets, homes, public and private property,” he said. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that a fire at the Tejuosho market on Dec. 18 led to the partial collapse of the shopping mall and the death of one fireman.
Statistics show that in the last two years, more than 60 persons had lost their lives to collapsed buildings in the state.
Dec272007