Fire razes goods at market
THE popular OwodeOnirin market in Ikorodu axis of Lagos was yesterday, razed by fire. Though no lives were lost, nor injuries sustained in the fire incident, goods estimated to worth several millions of naira were reportedly lost in the inferno.
According to investigations conducted at incident site by the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) Response Team, the fire emanated from one of the several lines of shops within the market. Although cause of the fire in the expansive market has not been ascertained, the distress call to the Agency’s Toll Free Emergency numbers 767/112, ensured quick response of LASEMA, its Fire Unit and the Lagos State Fire Services, an action that curtailed the wild fire before it could escalate to other parts of the huge metal and spare parts market.
LASEMA Response Team and other responders succeeded in battling the raging fire to a stop, which brought it under control, dousing the palpable tension and panic it had caused earlier, with the massive support of residents and shop owners within the area.
Cause of the fire could not immediately be ascertained, but it was said that it could not have emanated from electricity power surge as the Owode-onirin market was said to have been without electricity power supply since 2017. While the extent of damage could not be quantified immediately, due to the way the shops were constructed, responders at scene of the fire incident estimated that about thirty 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.