TheCable

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has rescued seven children from a fire incident at an orphanage in the city.

The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon.

In a statement, Nosa Okunbor, LASEMA head of public affairs unit, said seven male children were rescued by the agency from the one-storey building housing the orphanage.

The orphanage is located at 7 Wole Madariola St., off Enitan Kusimo street, Aguda.

Okunbor said the building was engulfed by a domestic fire which reportedly started from an air conditioning unit in the house, due to a power surge.

“A one-storey building housing an orphanage/motherless babies home was engulfed by fire which reportedly started from an air conditioning unit in the house as a result of power surge which was said to have quickly spread out,” he said.

“A total of seven boys with ages ranging between one and seven years were quickly evacuated from the home and safely relocated to the compound opposite the home.

“Management team of the home informed LASEMA of plans to relocate the children to the house of the owner of the home temporarily, to ensure their welfare was sustained.

“The fire which had initially spread to the storage room of the home has been extinguished with dampening down concluded.

“Post disaster assessment revealed that the whole of the first floor was salvaged, while the fire was contained in the store room and the rest of the ground floor was also salvaged.”

The agency said the children were formally handed over to officials of the child protection unit of the Lagos state ministry of youth and social development, who formally handed them over to the Red Cross.

LASEMA said no injuries and casualties were recorded in “the near fatal incident”, adding that the operation was successfully concluded in record time.