Pastor and Family Die in Lagos Fire
A fire suspected to have been triggered off by a power surge, claimed the life of a Lagos-based pastor, his wife and their two children.
According to Punch Metro, Pastor Kenneth Eze and his family were killed Wednesday morning when tragedy struck on Buraimoh Street in the Bariga area of Lagos State.
According to the report, Kenneth the pastor in charge of World Harvest Ministry in the Gbagada area of the state, and his family lived inside a shop where he and his wife sold drugs and provisions.
Kenneth reportedly relocated his family to the shop after he could not raise money to pay rent for his former apartment.
The victims were said to have been trapped by the two-level security burglar proof at the entrance of the shop and its extension, leading to their death.
Two other shops were affected by the inferno before the intervention of firefighters from the Lagos Fire Service, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency and the Police.
A screen printer, whose shop was opposite the victims’, told reporters that a power surge triggered the inferno.
“I sleep in my shop as well because of the nature of my work. Power was restored around 2am and that was when the fire started. There was a sudden explosion in the shop. It was difficult to get close to the place because everywhere was on fire. The heat was intense.
“Later, firefighters brought out their corpses. It was the body of the woman that was brought out first, before those of the two children. They initially couldn’t find the pastor. After some search, they found his corpse in the shop, where he was probably attempting to find a way out,” the printer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.
The two children, Miracle and Marvellous, were said to be aged six and three respectively.
The Director of the Lagos Fire Service, Rasak Fadipe, said the agency received a distress call around 2.48am, adding that the Alausa and Ilupeju fire divisions responded.
He said, “We met the fire well alight and our men put it out. There were two levels of burglar proof – one at the entrance of the shop, while the other covered the extension. We found it difficult to gain access because of the burglar proof bars.
“We should not turn our houses to prisons. Safety is very important. Every member of a family should know how the door is locked at night. We should discourage the use of keys to lock doors. When there is a fire incident, people should raise the alarm before it gets too late.”
He said the cause of the fire incident had yet to be established, adding that investigations were ongoing.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Chike Oti, confirmed the fire and the deaths.
“It happened inside a chemist. A man, his wife and their two children were consumed by the fire, which started early in the morning. We alerted the fire service and other emergency responders to the scene,” he added.
The Head, Corporate Communications and Media, Ikeja Electric, Felix Ofulue, said the IE was not aware of the incident.
He added that if the power company was at fault, the emergency workers would have informed the company.
