No fewer than 17 shops were destroyed after a fire swept through the Sabo Market in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State in the early hours of Tuesday, causing extensive damage to goods and property.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) confirmed the incident in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Olawale Afolabi.
According to the agency, the fire broke out at approximately 1:10 a.m. but was quickly brought under control before it could spread to other sections of the market.
Preliminary findings by emergency responders indicated that the blaze started from one of the shops before extending to adjoining stalls.
LASEMA stated that an electrical surge is suspected to have triggered the inferno, noting that electricity supply was active at the time the fire started.
“The immediate cause is suspected to be an electrical surge, as the outbreak reportedly occurred while the power supply was active,” the agency stated.
Emergency response teams from LASEMA and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service were immediately deployed to the scene and commenced firefighting operations, successfully containing the fire.
Following a post-incident assessment, officials confirmed that 17 out of the 32 shops located within the affected section of the market were destroyed.
Items consumed by the fire included provisions, groceries, foodstuffs and other merchandise belonging to traders.
Despite the scale of the incident, the agency confirmed that no lives were lost and no injuries were recorded during the operation.
Afolabi explained that the swift intervention by emergency responders prevented the fire from spreading to the remaining shops within the affected row and other adjoining sections of the market.
He added that the emergency teams successfully completed recovery operations before leaving the scene.
“The remaining shops within the affected row, as well as adjoining shops in the market, were largely salvaged due to the timely response of emergency teams.
“Recovery operations have now been successfully concluded, and the LASEMA Response Team has returned to base,” he said.
Reacting to the incident, the Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, urged market leaders, traders and residents to prioritise electrical safety measures to prevent similar occurrences.
He advised traders to ensure proper electrical wiring in their shops, avoid overloading electrical appliances and conduct regular inspections of electrical installations.
The permanent secretary also encouraged residents to promptly report emergencies through the state’s toll-free emergency lines, 112 and 767, to enable rapid intervention by emergency responders.
The latest incident occurred barely three days after another fire engulfed a three-storey residential building in the Ikosi area of Lagos State.
That incident also ended without any casualties, according to LASEMA, although property worth millions of naira was reportedly damaged.
Authorities have continued to emphasise the importance of fire prevention measures, particularly during periods of unstable electricity supply, as efforts intensify to reduce fire outbreaks across Lagos State.
