BY CHINYERE OBIORA, LAGOS – At least five persons were injured and rushed to the hospital following a fire outbreak late on Wednesday night at the Lagos campus of Law School, located at Ozumba Mbadiwe Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.
According to an eyewitness account, the fire, which started between 10:00 pm and 10.30 pm, led to commotion among residents of the campus who ran helter-skelter for dear lives.
Reports indicated that the fire incident affected one hostel and could have caused more havoc but for the timely intervention of the students and hostel security officials who promptly switched off the main power supply before the arrival of the State fire service some minutes later.
One of the affected law students, who confirmed the incident, said apart from one big electric cable, no tangible property was destroyed as nothing was close to the place where the fire began and no life was lost during the fire.
Another eyewitness, simply identified as Segun, hinted that the fire, suspected to be from an electrical fault, began around 10 pm from the first floor of the 5-story building hostel, accommodating about 1,500 law graduates on the Lagos campus.
“The fire came with a big bang. There was a stampede in the hostel. I saw a student jump out from the first floor where the fire started near the reading room. Other students ran out of their rooms in panic.”
“People had sudden asthma attacks and five people were injured bodily. One elderly woman who is a cleaner had her toe dislocated”, another obviously distraught source narrated.
Other sources stated that the unidentified injured students are currently receiving medical attention and responding to treatment at the school’s clinic.
Confirming the report, the Director of Lagos State Fire Service and Rescue, Margret Adeseye said there was no casualty as the incident was minor.
Adeseye, who spoke through the Public Affairs Officer, Amodu Shuabu, stated that preliminary investigation by the fire service indicated power surge as the cause of the fire outbreak.
She however said that a detailed investigation would be undertaken to determine the immediate and remote cause of the incident with a view to prevent future occurrences.
