A fire outbreak in the early hours of Wednesday destroyed no fewer than 26 shops at Bariga Market, Lagos State, leaving goods worth millions of naira in ruins.
The incident occurred around 4 a.m., barely a day after the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) convened a summit on emergency preparedness in the state.
According to LASEMA’s Permanent Secretary, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, emergency responders arrived to find several key-clamp shops already engulfed in flames. Investigations at the scene revealed that the fire began in one shop and quickly spread due to the wooden framework used in partitioning the shops.
Oke-Osanyintolu explained that the blaze was brought under control through a coordinated effort of emergency teams, preventing it from spreading further across the market. He added that the area was carefully managed to avoid secondary incidents.
While the exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined, the damage assessment confirmed that 26 shops were destroyed. Fortunately, no lives were lost, and no injuries were reported.
