Fire swept through Oke-Afa Planks and Building Materials Market, Ejigbo in Lagos on Friday night till Saturday morning.
By the time the combined efforts of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the Nigerian Police Force, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps, and the state Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, were able to put out the fire on Saturday, December 18, 2021, it had razed 294 shops.
The market mosque, two residential bungalows, three overhead storage tanks, and others were also burnt.
According to LASEMA Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, no life was lost.
The agency, he said, received a distress call on Friday night at 9:30pm regarding a fire outbreak and deployed its resources immediately.
“Consequent upon the arrival of the agency’s responders at the scene of the incident, it was discovered that a plank market which consists of 378 shops at the above location was engulfed in a wild inferno on Friday night and continued raging till Saturday morning,” he said.
Oke-Osayintolu said the immediate cause of the inferno could not be ascertained but efforts were on to find out.
“All efforts by the Agency’s Response Team, its Fire Men in collaboration with Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service to put out the fire and prevent it from spreading to adjoining buildings proved successful as the fire was curtailed from spreading further and put out completely,” he said.
While sympathising with the shop owners who have lost a fortune to the unfortunate incident and other residents of the affected buildings, the LASEMA chief appealed to all traders to ensure their properties are well insured.
He urged Lagosians to be safety cautious and vigilant especially at this harmattan season which is harsh and prone to fire incidents.
He reminded the people on the need to be very watchful and at alert to reduce the risk and vulnerability to fire outbreaks caused by the harsh harmattan season, because ’emergency management is everyone’s business
“The administration of Babajide Sanwo-Olu will continue to ensure that safety of lives and properties of Lagosians are of utmost priority,” he said.
Source: The Nation
