Confusion as wild fire guts Lagos dumpsite, razes trucks
Many residents, motorists and commuters in the Ojota area were held in traffic on Wednesday as thick smoke billowed into the sky from the landfill due to a wildfire that broke at the Olusosun dump, in the Ojota area of Lagos State
The fire raged till very late in the day, causing a gridlock that affected the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Tollgate, Seven-Up and the state secretariat areas.
The Director of the state fire service, Rasak Fadipe, said the agency was alerted to the fire around 4pm, adding that it immediately deployed four water trucks in the scene.
Fadipe said the firefighters were having a tough time fighting the flames due to the high wind velocity.
The cause of the fire is not yet ascertained.
The Lagos State government claims it plans to eventually shut down the unsanitary dumpsite at Olusosun, as it was well aware of the risk of having such a massive, unsafe, and unsanitary landfill so close to residential areas.
Newly constructed landfills in Epe and Ikorodu have been confirmed as alternative dumpsites for Olusosun.
Newsroom reliably gathered that at least four trucks were burnt in the fire.
