PHOTOS: Fire breaks out in busy market in Lagos, Nigeria Yahoo News Photo Staff•November 5, 2019Smoke rises from a fire in downtown Lagos, Nigeria, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019. (Photo: Sunday Alamba/AP)Nigerian firefighters were battling two fires that broke out almost simultaneously at a busy market in central Lagos, the country’s largest city and commercial center.Balogun Market, where the fires erupted, is one of Nigeria’s largest textile markets.“We have split our team in two to fight both fires,” Ganiyu Olayiwola, head of the Federal Fire Service in Lagos, said.The two fires do not appear to be related, he said, adding that it was not immediately clear if there were any casualties. Thick black smoke and flames were shooting up from five-story buildings surrounding the market as firetrucks attempted to get access to the fire.Residents were throwing what belongings they could from the buildings and some people on the rooftops were using small buckets of water to try to stop the fire. The fire started in the morning and became a major blaze by midday, with firefighters trying to keep the flames from spreading.The Balogun market sprawls across many blocks on Lagos Island. It is well known as one of the best places in Lagos to buy colorful Nigerian fabrics, apparel and shoes. Fires and other disasters are frequent on Lagos Island where the Balogun market is located.In March, at least 20 people, most of them schoolchildren, died with the collapse of a three-story building housing a school, residential apartments and shops. (AFP)See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Twitter and Tumblr.Olufemi Oke- Osanyintolu, director general of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, left, directs a crane operator at the site of a fire in Balogun Market in downtown Lagos, Nigeria, Nov. 6, 2019. (Photo: Sunday Alamba/AP)A crane operator works at the site of a fire in Balogun Market in downtown Lagos, Nigeria, Nov. 6, 2019. (Photo: Sunday Alamba/AP)A crane operator works at the site of a fire in Balogun Market in downtown Lagos, Nigeria, Nov. 6, 2019. (Photo: Sunday Alamba/AP)The scene of a fire in Balogun Market in downtown Lagos, Nigeria, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Photo: Sunday Alamba/AP)Smoke rises from a fire in downtown Lagos, Nigeria, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019. (Photo: Sunday Alamba/AP)Smoke rises from a fire in downtown Lagos, Nigeria, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019. (Photo: Sunday Alamba/AP)A man with a bucket tackles a blaze as smoke rises from a fire in downtown Lagos, Nigeria, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019. (Photo: Sunday Alamba/AP)China’s Yangtze region facing severe drought, affecting production – report by Reuters•November 7, 2019SHANGHAI, Nov 7 (Reuters) – The middle and lower reaches of China’s Yangtze river are suffering from the most severe drought in 40 years, with temperatures up to 3 degrees Celsius higher than normal in some regions, the official People’s Daily said on Thursday.Citing the ministry in charge of handling natural disasters, the newspaper said the drought was affecting local grain production, and had delayed rapeseed planting in the region.The total arable land affected by drought in the Yangtze’s middle and lower reaches was 154% higher than last year, the ministry said. It did not give the total area.The Ministry of Emergency Management said temperatures were 1-3 degrees Celsius higher than usual in the central provinces of Hubei, Jiangxi and Anhui and in parts of Fujian on the southeastern coast.China has suffered several bouts of extreme weather this year. Government forecasters have attributed record high summer temperatures and rainfall throughout China to global warming.The Ministry of Natural Resources also said in September that coastal sea levels were some 48 millimetres higher than the 1993-2011 average in 2018, with winter ice volumes significantly smaller and temperatures higher than normal.(Reporting by David Stanway; editing by Jane Wardell)