Lagos Market Disaster Prompts Tears and Fears of Tragic Loss

In the dark hours of Wednesday, a fierce blaze engulfed the Ladipo Plank Market situated in Amukoko along Iganmu Road, in the Orile region of Lagos State, leading to extensive destruction of goods and property valued at millions of naira.

Femi Oke-Osanyitolu, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority, made an official statement confirming the incident. He assured the public that no lives were lost due to the fire outbreak. Oke-Osanyitolu stated, “Our agency promptly responded to distress calls and arrived at the scene, only to discover the plank market consumed by flames. Thankfully, there were no reported casualties. Nevertheless, the extent of the destruction to goods and property has yet to be fully assessed.”

Eyewitnesses present during the incident reported that the fire ignited at approximately 12:30 am in the main market area. As of the time of this report, the cause of the fire remained undetermined.

Officials from LASEMA, Lagos State Fire Service, and the Federal Fire Service were on-site by 6 am, actively engaged in fire suppression efforts and ongoing rescue operations. The state fire service later provided an update through a tweet, indicating that the fire had been successfully contained, marking a significant step in mitigating the crisis.