Goods worth millions of naira were destroyed in a fire outbreak at the Alayabiagba Boundary Market, Ajegunle, Lagos State, on Tuesday.
The inferno, which reportedly affected no fewer than 11 shops, was traced to an explosion caused by a gas cylinder leakage in one of the shops.
The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed the incident and revealed that while extensive damage was recorded, no casualties or injuries occurred.
“In response to distress calls via the 767/112 Toll-Free Emergency numbers at 09:20hrs, LASEMA activated its response team from Onipanu Base. Upon arrival at 09:37hrs, it was observed that some shops in the market were engulfed by fire,” Oke-Osanyintolu stated.
Further investigations by the agency revealed that the fire originated from a gas retailer’s shop where various sizes of gas cylinders were stored. “The fire started from a gas leakage in one of the cylinders and spread rapidly to nearby shops,” he explained.
The blaze was eventually contained through a joint effort involving the COBRA Response Team, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Federal Fire Service, Dangote Fire Service, Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC), and other emergency responders.
Dr. Oke-Osanyintolu added, “The dampening down operation was successfully conducted to prevent the fire from escalating to adjoining buildings, and crowd control was effectively managed with the help of sister agencies.”
The Lagos State Ambulance Service and men of the Nigeria Police Force also assisted in managing the situation at the scene.
