A seven-month-old baby was reportedly burnt to death in a gas explosion that destroyed a gas retail shop and a neighbouring hairdressing salon at Dabiri Junction, Niyi Bus Stop, Modina Road, Egan-Igando area of Lagos State.
Sources in the community told SaharaReporters that the infant was burnt beyond recognition after the explosion triggered a fire that engulfed both business premises.
According to one of the sources, the deceased child belonged to an apprentice working at the hairdressing salon located beside the gas shop.
The source said the baby had wandered into the gas shop before the explosion occurred.
“The fire affected the hairdresser’s shop beside the gas shop. The seven-month-old baby was the child of an apprentice in the hairdresser’s shop. The child was playing inside the gas shop when the explosion happened,” the source said.
Accident
“The gas shop and the hairdresser’s shop were completely burnt down. The seven-month-old baby was burnt to ashes.”
The source also said photographs from the scene confirmed the extent of the destruction, showing both shops razed by the fire.
Residents said the incident occurred at Dabiri Junction, near Niyi Bus Stop on Modina Road in the Egan-Igando area of Lagos.
Emergency responders were yet to officially confirm the cause of the explosion or whether there were other casualties as of the time of filing this report.
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In June, SaharaReporters reported also that a fire engulfed a multi-storey commercial building housing a Polaris Bank branch on Broad Street in Lagos Island, Lagos State, causing panic among residents, workers, and business owners in the busy commercial district.
Meanwhile, a fire outbreak in the early hours of Tuesday also destroyed 17 lock-up shops at the popular Sabo Market in Ikorodu Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that no lives were lost and no injuries were recorded during the incident, adding that firefighters successfully prevented the blaze from spreading to adjoining shops and nearby properties.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Controller General of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, said the agency received a distress call at about 12:42 a.m. and immediately mobilised emergency responders to the scene.
According to her, firefighters arrived at the market at about 12:54 a.m. and found that the fire had already engulfed 17 containerised lock-up shops.
“The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service responded to a fire emergency at Sabo Market, Ikorodu Local Government Area, following a distress call received at 00:42 hours on Tuesday, July 21, 2026,” the statement read.
“Firefighters arrived at the scene at 00:54 hours and discovered that the fire had engulfed 17 containerised lock-up shops out of a row of approximately 30 shops, situated on a parcel of land measuring about 648 square metres within a premises covering approximately 1,944 square metres.”
Adeseye said personnel from the Ikorodu and Ijede Fire Stations worked jointly to contain the inferno, preventing it from consuming the remaining shops and nearby structures.
“The combined efforts of personnel from the Ikorodu and Ijede Fire Stations ensured that the fire was successfully contained and completely extinguished, preventing further spread to adjoining shops and properties,” she said.
She added that no casualties or injuries were recorded during the firefighting operation.
“The cause of the fire is currently under investigation,” the statement added.
The incident is the latest in a series of market fires recorded in Lagos, where traders have continued to count losses running into millions of naira following recurring fire outbreaks in major commercial centres.
Authorities have repeatedly urged traders and market operators to observe fire safety measures, including proper electrical installations and safe storage of combustible materials, to minimise the risk of similar incidents.
