The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service has identified a power surge and negligence as the causes of the fire that destroyed part of the Alaba International Market.
In a statement, the agency, however, said no casualties or injuries were recorded from the incident.
It said that it received a distress call at 7:18 p.m. reporting a fire outbreak at 155 Olojo Drive, opposite Tantalizers, Alaba International Market, in the Ojo Local Government Area of the state.
The agency further explained that upon receiving the alert, the Ojo and Ijegun-Egba fire stations were immediately deployed to the scene.
It disclosed that the incident involved multiple lock-up shops of varying sizes situated within a two-storey building occupying approximately 648 square meters, within a larger market premises spanning about five hectares.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the fire originated from the topmost floor of the building shortly after electricity was restored, due to negligence on the part of some shop owners.
“Access to the affected areas proved challenging as most shops were closed for the day, necessitating forced entry to gain access and suppress the fire, a delay that contributed to the spread of the flames, which was, however, confined to the floor,” a statement partly read.
