Fire razes Lagos market at midnight

Traders at the popular Iponri Shopping Complex in the Surulere area of Lagos State had gone home after Tuesday’s sales in anticipation of another prosperous market day.

Market fire

However, they had barely gone to bed when they were jolted with a shocker: The goods they left in their shops were up in flames.

Seventeen shops filled with goods were consumed by the fire, which reportedly started around 11.18pm, destroying goods worth millions of naira before officials of the Lagos State Fire Service (LSFS) arrived to put it out.

The LSFS’ Director, Mr Rasak Fadipe, who said the tragedy was caused by an electrical surge, added that the losses could have been more but for the intervention his men. “We battled the inferno when it was still raging. Officers at the Sari-Iganmu Fire Service Station were quickly mobilised and they came with their service tanker containing 10,000 litres of water to quell the raging inferno,” he said.

He said the intensity of the fire prompted him to mobilise more men from Ilupeju and Onikan service stations, who promptly came with 10,000 litres of water each, for the rescue efforts.

Most of the items burnt in the affected shops, he added, included power-generating sets, different types of textile materials and plastic materials, among others.

Fadipe noted that some of the electric cables in the market were ruptured, adding that he had warned the traders to get a good technician to adjust them.

The General Manager, Lagos State Management Authority (LASEMA), Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, said no life was lost in the incident.

It was a moving tale of agonies when The Nation visited the scene yesterday. Most of the victims were too embittered to talk on the incident. Shell-shocked, many simply beheld the charred remains of their wares in hopelessness.

A trader, who was identified as Mama Sikira, living a stone’s throw to the market, said: “I heard people shouting fire …fire … and running towards the market in utter confusion. And because of various interventions, the fire was put out around 9am this morning (yesterday).

Mrs Mary Ulo, a victim, said sobbing: “I sell foreign household/gift items; I just took delivery of some goods as did many other traders in this complex. Now, everything is gone. Over 17 shops were damaged, while stationery items, kitchen utensils, fabrics worth millions of naira went with this disaster.”

The Iyaloja General of the state, Chief (Mrs) Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, was visibly moved by the victims’ ill-fate. She said she would ensure that a good policy insurance is put in place and also talk to the government to look into the situation. “Only God knows how it happened; so, no human should be held responsible. This shouldn’t restrict daily activities in the market,” she added. (0)

Fire razes Lagos market at midnight