A 32-year-old man, identified simply as William, has been choked to death in a fire outbreak on Alabi Crescent in the Ijaiye area of Lagos State.

William, who was living alone in a single-room apartment, was said to have been killed by the smoke which engulfed his room around 10pm on Saturday.

It was told that people in the neighbourhood heard a noise from his apartment at the time, but by the time they arrived at the scene, he was dead.

The Director of the Lagos State Fire Service, Rasak Fadipe, who confirmed the incident, said William’s body had burns.

He said, “It was few minutes to 10pm when we received the alert. Our Agege Fire Station responded with 10,000 litres of water. They inspected the house and observed there was no generator.

“We also enquired if he lighted a candle, but nobody could tell. From our observation, it was possible that a mosquito coil he lighted before going to bed wreaked the havoc.

“The house is a one room self-contained, built close to the entrance of the gate. We learnt he had not spent up to one year in the house when he died.”

In a similar development, a fire outbreak on Addo Road, in the Ajah area of the state, has consumed a club house and five other shops in the area.

It is learnt that the fire began from the kitchen of the club house and spread to the bar, before devouring the surrounding shops.

Fadipe, who equally confirmed the incident, added that the quick response of the Onikan Fire Station prevented the fire from escalating.

He advised residents of the state to discuss fire safety measures during family and community meetings due to the peculiarity of the harmattan season.

He said, “In Epe, around 3am on Sunday, a storey building was also gutted by fire, destroying two flats and household items including electric fittings. The occupant of the building, who we learnt was a former Nigerian ambassador, was lucky to have escaped.

“People need to be careful because this season helps fire to spread easily. We should add fire safety precautions to our families and communities’ discussion. This will help to reduce the outbreak of fire.”