The popular Owode-Onirin market in Ikorodu axis of Lagos was on Sunday razed by fire.
According to the response team of the Lagos State Emergency Management (LASEMA), which mobilised to the scene, the fire emanated from one of the several lines of shops within the market.
The exact cause of the fire in the expansive market was not ascertained at the time of this report, as the market is said to have been without electricity since 2017. Several shops and stalls have been destroyed
An official of LASEMA said a distress call to the agency’s toll free emergency numbers 767/112, helped in early mobilisation to the market, as the fire unit of the agency and the Lagos State Fire Services, responded swiftly and curtailed the fire before it could escalate to other parts of the scrap metal/spare parts market.
“LASEMA response team and other first responders succeeded in battling the raging fire thereby dousing the tension and panic it had caused earlier, with the massive support of residents and shop owners within the area,” said Oke Osayintolu, the director general of LASEMA.
According to LASEMA, the extent of damage could not be quantified immediately, due to the interwoven manner in which the shops were constructed
LASEMA estimated that about 30 shops were damaged as at the time the recovery operation was ongoing, saying a proper enumerating exercise would be conducted after the fire was totally extinguished and dampening down completed.
Though no lives were lost, nor injuries sustained in the fire incident, goods estimated to millions of naira were reportedly lost in the inferno.
Joshua Bassey
