Just in: Tears as fire guts Balogun market in Lagos

Many traders at the popular Balogun market on Lagos Island wept on Thursday morning as fire burnt their goods.

The fire incident, which started at midnight, occurred nine days before Christmas.

Many of the traders lamented that they had stocked millions of goods for end-of-year sales before the fire incident occurred.

The cause of the fire outbreak could not be ascertained as of the time of filing this report.

 

The PUNCH gathered that many traders selling clothes and bags were most hit.

One of the affected traders at the popular Lagos market, identified simply as Iya Akande, broke down in tears while narrating the incident.

She lamented that some of them took loans to purchase goods ahead of Christmas and the New Year.

 

“I just came to the market to open my shop and saw many traders crying. I looked up and saw that our goods have been gutted by fire.

“We are in trouble. Many of us took loans to get goods so that we can make much profit during this festive period.”

 

Asked to estimate the amount of goods burnt, she said, “millions”.

Director, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Mrs Adeseye Margaret, said the fire was put off at 07.40am.

In a statement titled, stop Trending: Fire affects three shops on Lagos Island’, she said, “The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service attended to a Fire Call at about 05:50 hours Thursday at Gbade Plaza, 24, Nnamdi Azikwe Street, Lagos Island.

“The Fire which involved only three shops at the ground floor from among 56 shops in the three-storey plaza was met well alight and extinguished from escalating to adjoining structures in the bostorious Lagos market.

“It is on record that the Fire has completely been put out at 0740 hours with a combined effort of the Federal Fire Service as investigation into the cause is ongoing while no casualty was recorded.”