PHOTOS: Fire still burning at Ojota dumpsite — after six days

Six days after a wildfire erupted at the Olusosun dumpsite in the Ojota area of Lagos state, a significant portion of the site is still on fire.

When TheCable visited the dumpsite on Monday afternoon, thick smoke billowed in the sky as the surroundings and the Lagos-Ibadan expressway were also clouded by the heavy smoke such that passersby found it hard to negotiate their way as they covered their noses.

Soldiers at the entrance denied people entry into the dump site. This was after the Lagos state government shut down the site to prevent any other unforeseen situation. However, some of the scavengers who were leaving the site confirmed that the fire was still burning inside.

Officials of the Lagos State Fire Service and Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) had struggled to put out the fire that consumed eight vehicles and destroyed property worth millions of naira.

While addressing scavengers and other workers at the site on his second visit after the outbreak of fire, Akinwunmi Ambode, governor of Lagos state, said the location of the facility was no longer healthy both for trading activities and residents living in the neighbourhood.

Aside the negative health implication of the site to the people, the governor said that the structure of the facility was also risky and susceptible to all forms of hazards like the fire outbreak.

However, as the smoke keeps pervading the air for days, residents around the dumpsite risk health harzards if it is not contained on time.