The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has said that the fire incident which occurred at Kairo market in Oshodi, Lagos, on Thursday night was caused by explosives and accelerants.
At least 90 shops and offices were razed in the fire outbreak which also destroyed goods worth millions of naira.
Director-General of LASEMA, Femi Oke-Osanyintolu said in a statement released on Friday, May 7 that “initial investigations suggest that some form of explosives/ accelerants were used; indicating some foul play.”
He also said that firefighters from the agency were exposed to violence at the incident scene, and the equipment of the agency was damaged.
The statement read;
“Members of the public sabotaged our efforts by cutting our hoses in the middle to save their individual shops which affected the overall efforts of our personnel and damage to our equipment.
“Some members of our team were attacked with several sustaining injuries that required medical attention.”
Osanyitolu disclosed that the agency has informed relevant authorities including the Nigeria Police to carry out further investigations on the fire incident