At least 12 shops were burnt in a late-night fire that broke out at a market in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Thursday.
The incident happened at Block A, No. 64, Mayegun Cement Store Market, Araromi, Agodi-Gate, around 10:55 pm and lasted over three hours before it was brought under control.
Eyewitnesses said the fire started suddenly and quickly spread, destroying goods and property worth millions of naira.
According to reports, the fire was caused by an electric surge near flammable materials.
The General Manager of the Oyo State Fire Service, Yemi Akinyinka, confirmed the incident on Friday.
He said, “The agency’s control room received the distress call at exactly 11:02 pm on Thursday through telephone and Mr Young, who reported a shop fire at the address.”
Akinyinka explained that firemen, led by Cfs Jimoh, rushed to the scene and were able to prevent the fire from spreading further.
“On arrival, we met some lockup shops already in flames. We quickly started work and stopped the fire from reaching nearby shops,” he said.
He confirmed that 12 shops were damaged, but many others were saved, including property worth billions of naira.
He added, “The fire truck returned to the station by 3:18 am and is now on standby.”
Shop owners and traders at the market have called on the government for support to recover from their losses.
