A fire outbreak on Thursday at the Lagos State Campus of the Nigerian Law School on Ozumba Mbadiwe Street, Victoria Island, has injured five persons.
The fire, which a source said started at about 10pm, was caused by a faulty electrical appliance on the first floor of the five-story building hostel accommodating about 1,500 law graduates of the Lagos school campus.
The incident reportedly caused serious confusion among occupants of the hostel flats as students ran in different directions for safety.
According to our source, “The fire came with a big bang. There was a stampede in the hostel. I saw a student jump from the first floor where the fire started near the reading room. Other students ran out of their rooms in panic. At least, five people were seriously injured while one elderly lady, a cleaner suffered a dislocated toe.
“The fire was later put out by security men attached to the hostel who battled to switched off the main power supply. Officials of the fire service had arrived some minutes later.
The injured students are currently receiving medical attention at the clinic.
The Director of Lagos State Fire Service and Rescue, Margaret Adeseye, through the Public Affairs Officer of the Service, Amodu Shuabu, confirmed the incident, describing it as minor. He said no death was recorded during the incident.
Adeseye stated that preliminary investigation by the fire service indicated power surge as the cause of the fire outbreak.
She pointed out that a detailed investigation would be carried out to ascertain the immediate and remote causes of the fire incident with a view to preventing future occurrences.
