By Lukman Olabiyi
Fire yesterday gutted two markets, Ladipo and Owode Onirin on Mushin and Ikoridu areas of Lagos destroying goods worth millions of Naira.
Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, who confirmed the inferno at Ladipo market, said that the agency received distress calls through its 767 and 112 emergency toll-free lines at about 00.09hrs concerning the fire outbreak.
He said: “LASEMA immediately activated the state’s emergency response plans and response team from its Cappa Base.
“Upon arrival at 00.16hrs at the scene of the incident, it was discovered that a warehouse surrounded by shops was gutted by the fire.
“Investigations revealed that the inferno was caused by an electric power surge after public electricity power supply was restored to the area”.
Oke-Osanyintolu said that there was no record of injury or loss of life during the incident.
“Valuable goods worth a fortune were however, destroyed by the inferno,” he said.
He said that the goods destroyed include electronics, generating sets, bicycles, auto spare parts, phones, and home appliances.
The permanent secretary said that occupants of the warehouse have been sensitised on the appropriate safety measures to take to prevent a re-occurrence in the future.
Meanwhile, a separate fire also broke out at Owode Onirin Market, affecting several shops selling metallic materials.
Fire crews from Alausa and Ikorodu Fire stations responded quickly, managing to bring the fire under control by 5 a.m.
Fortunately, there were no reported casualty from the fire incident.
Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service,Margaret Adeseye, assured the public that investigations would be carried out to determine the cause of the fire incidents at the two markets as damping-down operations continue.