Lagos market fire outbreak leads to traders' losses

A five-storey building on Gbajumo Street, Balogun Market, in the Lagos Island Local Government Area of Lagos State, has been damaged by fire, leading to the loss of products worth millions of naira.

Witnesses claim that the inferno began on Wednesday at 11 p.m. after the market had closed for the day.

On Thursday, it was reported that Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service firefighters came to the spot and fought the fire till 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

The National Emergency Management Agency, the Emergency Response Unit of the Lagos Island Central Business District, the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency, and representatives of the sanitation corps of the Lagos Island LGA were among the other agencies present at the scene.

Mojeed Adetutu, a resident, claimed the fire began on the first level before spreading across the entire structure.

He said, “When we heard about the fire last night (Wednesday), we rushed down to this place and saw that there was electricity in the building while it was burning. We assisted the firefighters in quenching it but in the middle of the night, we realised that the fire had progressed to the second floor.

Ekundayo Ahmed, a different local, criticized the firefighters for not having water on their trucks.

“About five trucks came but all we could hear was that there was no water. Some people were rushed to a hospital after they got injured in the rescue operation,” he added.

A trader, who identified herself as Iya Bimpe, said, “Some traders lost goods worth N10m while others lost goods worth N40m. The least loss recorded is N3m. Items sold in the market included Italian shoes, bags, suits, and children’s shoes. Some traders just bought goods for the New Year.”

Some items were salvaged, according to Tunji Adegoke, a local who helped with the rescue effort.

“Unfortunately, the goods recovered were not up to what the fire consumed. We couldn’t even recover up to a quarter of what the building housed,” he added.

Foreign shoes, bags, and women's clothing were destroyed by the blaze, according to Mr. Yekini Awere, Assistant Corps Marshal, Environmental, Lagos Island.

He said, “I heard that the fire was caused by the high voltage of electricity that was supplied to the market around 11 pm on Wednesday. Also, the occupants of the building had gone home at the time the fire started.”

Our reporter observed rescuers removing cargo sacks from the burning structure, which was already pouring with water as a result of the firemen' actions.

A Nigerian who was allegedly diverting commodities was one of the people involved in the rescue effort.

Residents beat him up and drove him away.

In a statement released on Thursday, LASEMA stated that the fire's cause was still unknown.

“Fortunately, there is no loss of life or casualty,” the statement added.