Traders at Bariga Market in Lagos State were thrown into despair on Wednesday after a raging fire destroyed no fewer than 26 shops, reducing goods worth millions of naira to ashes.
The incident occurred barely 24 hours after the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) hosted a summit on tackling emergencies across the state.
Confirming the development in a statement, LASEMA’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said the fire started at about 4 a.m. and spread rapidly through the market before emergency responders arrived.
“Further information received at the incident scene revealed that the fire started from one of the shops and quickly spread to other shops because the key-clamp shops were supported and partitioned by wooden frameworks,” Oke-Osanyintolu explained.
He added that by the time responders arrived, several shops were already fully engulfed in flames. The fire was eventually brought under control through the combined efforts of emergency responders, who worked to prevent it from spreading to other sections of the market.
“The fire was extinguished through collaborative efforts of emergency responders and was quickly contained and prevented from spreading to other parts of the market. The incident scene was proactively managed to avoid any secondary incidents,” he said.
While the cause of the fire is yet to be determined, Oke-Osanyintolu confirmed that no lives were lost and no injuries were recorded. The agency’s damage report indicated that 26 key-clamp shops were destroyed, with properties worth millions of naira lost.
Many of the traders, who arrived at the market after being alerted, were seen weeping uncontrollably as they counted their losses.
“This is all I have. Everything I worked for is gone. I don’t even know how to start again,” a trader, who preferred not to be named, was quoted as lamenting.
The tragedy adds to the growing list of fire incidents in Lagos.
