A fire outbreak in the early hours of Wednesday razed no fewer than 26 shops at Bariga Market, Lagos, destroying goods worth millions of naira.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, said it received a distress call around 4:05 a.m. and immediately activated its emergency response team from its Onipanu base.
Dr. Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, the Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, confirmed the incident in a preliminary report. He said responders arrived at the scene by 4:25 a.m. to find rows of key-clamp shops already engulfed in flames.
“Information gathered revealed that the fire started from one of the shops before spreading rapidly to others, due to the wooden partitions and supports used in constructing the key-clamp shops,” Oke-Osanyintolu stated.
He explained that the fire was eventually extinguished through a combined effort involving LASEMA officials, LRU paramedics, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, and officers of the Nigeria Police Force.
“We were able to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to other sections of the market. The entire operation was managed proactively to avoid any secondary incidents,” he added.
While property owners counted their losses, officials confirmed that there were no fatalities or injuries.
“Twenty-six key-clamp shops were destroyed, but thankfully, no lives were lost and no one sustained injuries,” the report noted.
By 6 a.m., dampening down had been completed, and the operation was officially concluded.
