Fire Guts Church, Market In Badagry, Lagos (Photos)

Property worth millions of Naira got
destroyed yesterday July 25, after the
popular sawmill at Ibereko in
Badagry, Lagos was engulfed in fire.
Although no life was lost in the
incident, the inferno also razed parts
of the St. Anthony Catholic church
beside the plank market.
As at the time the reporter got to the
scene, Fire Fighters from the Lagos
State Fire Service, Badagry Station,
were seen struggling to put out the
raging flames as it continued to
spread.
A resident in the area who simply
gave his name as Hamed said: “We
just discovered smoke was coming
out of some of the planks and before
we knew it, ‘Thinner’ which is a
chemical we use to make paint very
thick exploded and the whole area
went up in flames”.
However, members of St. Anthony
Catholic Church scampered for safety
as some groups were said to be
having rehearsals as at that time.
They immediately evacuated the
church premises as neighbours try as
much as possible to help them
remove valuables, as the fire
continued to rage.
The religious facility was immediately
emptied as the seats, pulpit-stand,
public address system e.t.c were
taken outside the premises.
By the time the fire was totally put
out at about 6:30pm, valuables
running into millions of Naira had
‘gone’. Some of the shop owners were
seen wailing and lamenting the
incident.