Candle Fire Kills Two Year Old Girl In Lagos

A fire from a one-room apartment on Gbadamosi Street, Agbole Itire, Lagos State, has claimed the life of a two-year-old girl, Angel Johnson.

The incident reportedly resulted from an abandoned candle fire lit by the mother of the victim.

It was gathered that the fire incident happened around 9pm on Saturday while Johnson and her five-year-old elder brother were sleeping.

The victim’s mother was said to have lit the candle and went out to do something on the premises, leaving Johnson and her elder brother in the apartment.

It was also gathered that the burning candle fell from a table on which it was placed, caused fire that engulfed the table and escalated to other parts of the room.

While the victim’s brother was awoken by the smoke and managed to escape, she was suffocated.

A resident, Lamide Bello, said that by the time the woman and her neighbours were alerted, the apartment had become engulfed in flames.

He said,

“The woman lit up a candle and went out to do something in the compound. The candle fell from the table and the fire broke out. Her two children were sleeping at that time. Nobody knew that the apartment was on fire until the boy rushed out. His sister was two years and some months old. People tried to rescue her after alerting the Lagos State Fire Service, but the girl did not make it. Their father was not around.”

The Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Mr. Rasaq Fadipe, who confirmed the incident, said emergency responders were able to prevent the fire from spreading to other apartments in the building.

Fadipe urged residents to be meticulous in the use of candles and promptly alert the agency during emergencies.

He said, “The woman was said to have lit a candle and went out. The child (Johnson) was two-and-a-half-year-old. The child must have died from the inhalation of fumes resulting from the fire. People must be guided in the use of candles.

“There must not be combustible materials closer to it and it must have a metal base. Don’t ever leave it overnight; it is delicate. Instead of candles, we can use rechargeable lamps, which do not have any hazard.

“If there is any fire incident, people should quickly call the emergency number even if they know they can tackle the fire. By the time it is getting out of hands, the fire service would have been there already.”