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Two yet to be identified persons lost their lives on Thursday, during the fire incident that razed some parts of the Egbe-Idimu Local Council Development Area of Lagos State.
Another yet to be identified victim, who was said to have sustained “70 degree burns,” was taken to Igando General Hospital, where doctors are reportedly battling to save his life.
According to reports, the three victims were having a bath in a stream in the area to cleanse themselves spiritually when the fire started and burnt two of them to death.
The residents of the area said the pastor conducting the spiritual cleansing ran away and abandoned the victims upon sighting the fire.
It was gathered that the fire incident was caused by the activities of suspected vandals who ruptured the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation’s pipeline in the area in a bid to siphon fuel.
The ruptured pipeline was said to have been spilling fuel continuously, leading to the fire incident that razed four locations in the community.
The Public Relations Officer(PRO), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency(LASEMA), Nosa Okunbor, while reacting to the incident said, “Two people were burnt to death, and another victim who sustained 70 degree burns has been taken to Igando General Hospital for treatment.
“What we gathered from bystanders was that the victims were performing spiritual cleansing when the fire met them there and burnt them.
“But the pastor escaped and ran away.
“We saw the sponges used for the cleansing at the scene of the fire incident.
“Rescue and recovery operations is ongoing.”