300 shops destroyed in fire at Lagos market; traders complain

Over 300 shops were destroyed in a fire incident that broke out at Ladipo Board Market in Orile Iganmu area of ​​Lagos State on Wednesday.

The Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Fire Service, Mr. Amodu Shakil, confirmed this in an exclusive interview with Punch Metro.

A correspondent who visited the fire accident site confirmed that 75 stores were lined up in five rows, of which four were destroyed.

Many shop owners had complained about the extent of the damage caused by the fire which broke out late on Wednesday night until it was successfully extinguished by the joint efforts of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency and Lagos Fire Service personnel.

Shakil said the fire was not caused by a power surge as suspected, as there was no power to the market for several hours before and after the incident.

He said: “There were five rows of shops in the market, four of which were destroyed in the fire. Each row contained an average of 75 workshops, and a total of 300 workshops were affected. Others There are also cultivation workshops, but the number is unknown.

“The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but there was a power outage in the market before and for several hours after the fire, so it is unlikely that a power surge was the cause.” As with most fire incidents, we suspect this was the store owner’s fault, but we are conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the fire.”The products sold in the market are essentially Since it was flammable, they did everything in their power to ensure the fire spread.

“As the affected items are flammable, we will continue to take all necessary measures to prevent further spread of the fire.” You know that board is a flammable material. “We have begun evacuation of the debris while ensuring that the fire does not start again,” he said.

Meanwhile, traders She feared that the Lagos State government would take over the country following the incident, which she expressed as lamenting the losses caused by the incident.

A trader who identified himself as Rasheed claimed that billions of naira were lost in the fire.

“One thing we can’t determine is how the fire started. All I know is that the fire started around 12:30 p.m. I was not allowed to sleep, so I wonder what happened that caused the fire.

“The wood costs 1,800 naira each, some pieces cost 2,500 naira, and this fire cost billions. Dollars have been lost. The saddest thing is that we just restocked our stores yesterday (Tuesday) and now some people have lost all their money,” he said.

Another dealer who wishes to remain anonymous.