A section of the Alaba International Market in Lagos was gutted by fire on Tuesday evening.
Videos shared on X showed thick smoke and flames billowing
from the furniture section of the market, located near the Ojo LGA secretariat
in Ojo town.
Ikechukwu Ude, an X user who shared the footage, said
the blaze started from “a little spark” before spreading rapidly through
adjoining shops.
In another
video, traders stood at a distance, visibly distressed as the blaze
engulfed their shops.
Footage also showed officials of the Lagos State Fire and
Rescue Service battling to contain the inferno.
Speaking on Wednesday, Shakiru Amodu, director
of public affairs at the state fire service, confirmed the incident and added
that details were still being gathered.
“I’m aware of the incident; the Ojo fire station dealt with
the scene along Ijegun — it happened just yesterday,” Amodu said.
“It’s just safe to say we can speak later in the day — maybe
in another hour — and I should be able to get back to you.”
The Alaba International Market, situated along the
Lagos–Badagry expressway, is one of West Africa’s biggest commercial hubs for
electronics, furniture and building materials.
The fire comes amid a series of market and building infernos
in Lagos in recent months.
In September, at least 10 people died in a fire at Afriland
Towers, a six-storey commercial building on Broad Street, Lagos Island.
United Capital Plc, which occupies the third and fourth
floors of the building, confirmed that six of its employees were
among the victims.
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) also said four of
its staffers lost their lives in the incident.
Preliminary findings indicated that the blaze began in the
inverter room in the basement before spreading to the upper floors.
Videos from the scene showed trapped workers smashing
windows to escape while others jumped onto makeshift foam cushions below to
avoid suffocation.
Emergency responders from the Federal Fire Service and the
Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service rescued nine people, five of whom were
revived on site.
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