An early morning fire has destroyed 17 shops at Sabo Market in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State. The fire broke out at about 1:10 a.m. on Tuesday, according to the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA).
Fire Spread from Single Shop
Olawale Afolabi, the agency’s spokesperson, explained in a statement that preliminary investigations indicated that the fire started in one of the shops before spreading to adjoining stalls. He stated that the immediate cause was suspected to be an electrical surge, as the fire reportedly broke out while power supply was active.
Emergency Response and Damage Assessment
Emergency responders from LASEMA and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service quickly moved to the scene and contained the fire before it could spread to other sections of the market. A post-incident assessment showed that 17 of the 32 shops in the affected section were damaged. Provisions, groceries, foodstuffs and other merchandise were destroyed in the fire, the agency said. No death or injury was recorded.
Mr Afolabi said the remaining shops in the affected row and adjoining sections of the market were largely salvaged because of the timely intervention of the emergency responders. “Recovery operations have now been successfully concluded, and the LASEMA Response Team has returned to base,” he noted.
Call for Electrical Safety
The Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, urged market leaders, traders and residents to pay greater attention to electrical safety. He advised them to ensure proper wiring of shops, avoid overloading electrical appliances and regularly inspect electrical installations. He also urged residents to report emergencies promptly through the state’s toll-free emergency numbers, 112 and 767.
Series of Fire Outbreaks in Lagos
The incident occurred amid a series of recent fire outbreaks in parts of Lagos, several of which have raised concerns about electrical safety. Barely three days earlier, a fire gutted the top floor of a three-storey residential building on Ademola Taiwo Street in the Ketu-Ikosi area of the state. LASEMA attributed the incident to a suspected electrical surge from a prepaid meter. Although no civilian casualty was recorded, two personnel of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service collapsed while battling the fire and were taken to the Trauma Centre for treatment. The agency later said both officers were in stable condition.
