About 30 shops in Ajah Market in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State was on Sunday, June 14, 2015 razed down by fire.
The fire affected shops which sold goods such as textile material, generators, electronics, foodstuff alongside other items estimated at millions of naira and destroying the livelihood of many families with it. However, there were no casualties as nobody was reported injured or dead in the fire incident.
According to a resident who spoke with the PUNCH identified simply as Happiness said that even though the cause of the fire was unknown, the fuel stored in some of the shops by owners only served to further aggravate the fire.
She said, “The fire started around 4.30pm and it consumed many goods. Nobody knows what caused the fire, but there were kegs of fuel in some of the shops and that worsened the flames. Some of the traders stored fuel in the market. Some traders have been coming around to see if they can salvage some of their goods.”
Thankfully, the Lagos State Fire Service from Lekki Phase 1 and Onikan were promptly on hand to help combat the fire. The Director of the Lagos State Fire Service, Mr. Rasak Fadipe, as at the time he was contacted, said that he would not be able to make any clear cut statements regarding the incident because the fire was still been combated.
Fadipe said, “We are on top of the situation. More than 30 lock-up shops have been severely affected. We have two fire stations there. The Onikan Fire Station went with 10,000 litres of water, and Lekki Phase 2, with a chemical foam tank.”
He therefore called on residents of the state be more safety conscious and alert the fire service immediately there was a case of emergency.
