An early morning fire has destroyed 17 shops at Sabo Market in Ikorodu, Lagos, destroying goods worth millions of naira but causing no deaths or injuries, emergency officials have said.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said the blaze was contained before it spread to other parts of the busy market, limiting the scale of the destruction.
LASEMA spokesperson, Olawale Afolabi, said preliminary findings suggest the fire started in one of the shops before spreading to neighbouring stalls.
“The immediate cause is suspected to be an electrical surge, as the outbreak reportedly occurred while the power supply was active,” the agency said.
Emergency responders from LASEMA and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service swiftly launched firefighting operations, preventing what officials described as a potentially larger disaster.
A post-incident assessment found that 17 of the 32 shops in the affected section were damaged. Provisions, groceries, foodstuffs and other merchandise were destroyed in the inferno.
Afolabi said prompt intervention by emergency personnel helped save the remaining shops.
“Fortunately, no loss of life or injuries were recorded. 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.
Following the incident, LASEMA’s Permanent Secretary, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, urged traders, market leaders and residents to observe electrical safety measures to reduce the risk of future fires.
He advised shop owners to ensure proper electrical wiring, avoid overloading power outlets and carry out regular inspections of electrical installations.
Oke-Osanyintolu also encouraged residents to report emergencies immediately through the state’s toll-free emergency numbers, 112 and 767.
The latest incident comes just three days after a fire engulfed a three-storey residential building in the Ikosi area of Lagos. LASEMA said no lives were lost in that incident.
