LSFRS blames negligence for Lagos market fire

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service has blamed traders for negligence in the fire that destroyed goods worth millions of naira in the Ladipo market located in the Mushin area of the state.

This is just as a similar fire incident destroyed several goods at the Owode Onirin market along the Ikorodu road, Lagos State on Tuesday.

The spokesperson for the LSFRS, Shakiru Amodu, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with our correspondent on Tuesday.

PUNCH Metro gathered from an earlier statement by the LSFRS Director, Magaret Adeseye, that there were two fire incidents in the early hours of Tuesday at the Ladipo and Owode Onirin markets which destroyed several goods including home appliances, metallic goods, vehicles, automobile spare parts and mechanical tools among others.

The statement read, “An inferno that emerged overnight at Warehouse A, Ladipo Street, Ladipo Market, Mushin, Lagos is being curtailed by the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service.

“The Isolo, Bolade and Alausa fire crews of the agency have confined the fire to only the warehouse involving a variety of wares including mechanical workshop tools and machines, vehicles and spare parts, motorcycle and household electrical appliances despite the difficulty of gaining access while salvaging adjoining properties and businesses alike.

“Meanwhile, a similar scenario is playing out at the Owode Onirin Market on Ikorodu Road, where fire involving some shops trading in metallic materials is being combated by Alausa and Ikorodu fire stations of the agency with the situation under control.”

Giving an update on the fire incident at Ladipo, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, disclosed that a power surge within the warehouse led to the fire.

He added that various sections of the warehouse were destroyed but the fire was swiftly contained from spreading into adjoining buildings.

Oke-Osanyintolu stated, “The immediate cause of the fire was attributed to an electrical power surge after the public electricity power supply was restored to the area. Valuable goods worth a fortune were destroyed by the inferno.

‘The inferno affected the electronics section, generator section, bicycle section, auto spare parts section, furniture section, phones section, home appliances section, and power bike section.”

Speaking with our correspondent, Amodu noted that there could be no power surge if adequate measures had been taken by the traders.

He stressed that negligence in the handling of electrical appliances led to the power surge that sparked the fire and destroyed goods in the warehouse.

“Traders often blame power supply and electrical surges on fire but the major cause is negligence. Our findings showed that there was no proper housekeeping when power was restored to the market which led to the fire.

“We usually tell traders that it is not enough to just switch off electrical appliances but also disconnect all appliances from their power source. If the power supply is the problem, it should have affected the whole community but it only affected the warehouse because it was due to negligence,” Amodu said.

PUNCH Metro reports a similar incident at the Ladipo Oluwole market on November 15 where goods worth millions of naira were destroyed after a fire gutted a factory.

Adeseye, while confirming the inferno in a statement said that the affected goods included body spray, perfumes, creams and others.