Disaster was averted at Mateco Industries Limited, a foot wear manufacturing factory in Lagos on Tuesday afternoon when a section where raw materials are kept caught fire.
Residents of Odonla community in Ikorodu Lagos were alarmed by the thick black smoke which emerged from the factory located in the community and many of them ran to the source of the inferno.
The West African Pilot News gathered that the company, like many others located in the industrial area had notified their workers to stay at home in compliance with the government’s directive on a lock down of activities in Lagos.
Some workers of the company told this reporter that the fire was caused by refined rubber raw materials which got over heated because they had been stacked on each other.
“It is the carbon that they packed on top of each other that caused it,” a man who did not want to be named but works at the foot wear factory told this reporter. “It is a recycled rubber used to make slippers. The weather is hot and they get over heated when exposed to excessive sunlight.”
Another eye witness told this reporter that she feared the fire could get worse as it is close in proximity to the diesel storage tank and the petrol storage area and also spread to a polythene manufacturing factory beside the factory which uses flammable gas.
“Look at how it is burning, if they do not stop the fire quick, we will have a disaster here. Mateco’s diesel and petrol tanks are located close to the carbon that is burning. See that company, they use gas there, wahala (problem) can happen here,” a lady who identified herself as Tobi told WAP.
It is not clear whether Mateco Industries Limited has adequate fire control equipment. This reporter observed some members of staff of the company scrambling to get detergent to put out the fire. Mr. Michael Mc-madu, the Director of Operations and son of the owner of the company along with four of the company’s expatriates from the Philippines were seen at the scene of the incident.
This reporter observed that it took four fire trucks to put out the fire which raged for about three hours. Fire trucks owned by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and a Chinese company, Super Engineering Company assisted officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) to get the fire under control.
However, there was mild drama when officials of LASEMA and the Lagos State Environment Protection Agency were denied entry into the factory’s premises. It was until officials of LASEMA began sealing the premises that the gate was eventually opened and the officials went in.
As at the time of filing this report, it could not be established whether lives were lost or injuries were sustained by anyone.
The West African Pilot News gathered that the Mateco Industries Limited, a Nigerian-owned company had a similar incident in 2017 when the rubber raw material emitted smoke but was quickly kept under control.
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