Fire guts Nigerian Breweries factory in Lagos

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Mr Fatai Owoseni, has redeployed about 100 policemen to the premises of the Nigerian Breweries Plc, Iganmu, Lagos where an early morning fire razed a part of the company’s premises on Sunday.

Owoseni told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the deployment was meant to give adequate security cover to the company.

The Police Commissioner explained that the policemen were deployed to hold back some miscreants who wanted to take advantage of the situation to enter into the company’s premises.

“There is a fire incidence at the Nigerian Breweries but the fire did not affect the operational areas of the company.

“It affected only the isolated areas where the company keeps empty bottles and cartons, as well as expired drinks,’’ Owoseni said.

A staff of the Breweries, who pleaded anonymity, said that he rushed to the company’s premises upon learning of the incident.

He said that no one could state the actual cause of the fire, adding that “presently, it is still burning and you can see that the fire service personnel are still battling to put off the inferno”.

He recalled that the fire was `very heavy’ in the morning hours, but that it had subsided significantly, following onslaughts by firefighters from the Lagos State Fire Service.

Mr Razak Fadipe, Director, Lagos State Fire Service, told NAN that the fire started at about 5.30 a.m.

He explained that the Lagos State Fire Service immediately mobilised five fire engines to the company premises, with support from Julius Berger, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the United Bank for Africa and Union Bank.

“As we speak, we are still battling the fire to contain its spread. We have been able to do that though. I can confirm that nobody is injured in the incident and that there is no loss of life.

Meanwhile, a section of the company’s fence bordering the Iganmu Interchange collapsed during the incident.

NAN reports that hundreds of miscreants invaded the area but police personnel from the Area ‘C’ Command, Surulere and nearby formations were able to contain the situation.(NAN)

The actual cause of the fire could not be immediately ascertained as at the time of this report.