Traders at the popular Balogun Market on Lagos Island have begun to count their losses as over 100 shops were razed today after fire gut six buildings in the market.
The fire started around 4:00 a.m. but what triggered the fire is still unknown as at the time of filing this report around 11:40 a.m.
The six buildings comprise three buildings which are three-storey buildings; two five-storey buildings and a four-storey building. Traders said they arrived the market this morning and met it on fire.
The six buildings are said to house hundreds of shops and warehouses were assorted materials like clothes, shoes, electronics and others are being sold.
It is estimated that properties worth millions of naira may have been destroyed in the fire.
Officials of the Federal and State Fire Services, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA; National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA; Civil Defence Corps, police; Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA, and Julius Berger officials were on ground to battle the fire.
The fire services are employing high rising equipment to fight the fire in the high rising buildings with the support of construction company, Julius Berger, who brought its equipment to fight the fire.
Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Rasak Fadipe told PM NEWS that the fire started around 4:00 p.m. and that six buildings were involved, saying that about six fire tankers had been deployed to fight the fire.
He said he could not ascertain what led to the inferno but lamented that the presence of large crowd is affecting the fire operation, noting that, the fire has affected several shops in the buildings.
Fadipe said fire trucks from Sari Iganmu, Isolo, Ilupeju and Alausa were battling the fire, adding that, it was still raging seriously.
General Manager, LASEMA, Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu corroborated Fadipe’s report that the started around 4.00am, adding that, the agency and others were on ground to put out the fire.
He said the damage caused by the fire was unquantifiable and serious.
Officials of the police and the Civil Defence have condoned the area to prevent surging crowd from obstructing fire fighting.
