Fire guts Lagos shopping mall

Part of the shopping complex on Ligali Ayorinde Street in the Victoria Island area of Lagos State was on Wednesday gutted by fire.

According to Channels Television, the inferno started in the early hours of the day in one of the shops where combustible items such as tyres and car batteries were stored.

The South-West Coordinator, National Emergency Management Agency, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the incident.

He said the fire has been brought under control after officials of the state and Federal Fire Services battled to put it out.

The cause of the inferno, which lasted for hours before it was contained, is yet to be ascertained.

“The fire incident happened at a shopping centre but it has been handled by Federal and state fire services,” Farinloye said.

According to the NEMA Coordinator, an investigation was ongoing and the report would be made available upon completion.

Cases of fire outbreaks are common in Nigeria’s commercial capital. On April 13, a fire incident occurred in the Maryland area of Lagos that made people to panic.

The incident caused gridlock in the area as passengers, residents and passers-by scampered to safety.