Shomolu market burns in midnight inferno

Midnight fire gutted Olaleye Market in Somolu, Bariga area of Lagos State, in the early hours of Saturday with property worth billions of naira destroyed.

Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, Director-General, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), said the raging fire which occurred at about 12.15 am, Saturday, razed the market to rubble.

According to Oke-Osanyintolu, though, no life was neither lost nor injuries recorded in the disaster, efforts were intensified by emergency responders to ensure that the fire did not cause further havoc as well as curtail it’s spread to proximal buildings.

He added that properties and goods valued to worth several billions of naira were razed down in the inferno.

LASEMA boss explained, that, LASEMA Response Team received a distress call from the control room as regards a fire outbreak at the aforementioned location and immediately deployed to the incident scene.

“Upon arrival at the scene, it was discovered that Olaleye Market located at Shomolu was gutted by fire.

“However the investigation is currently ongoing to ascertain the cause of the fire.

“Lagos State Fire Service, LRU fire and the Federal Fire Service are currently battling the inferno and preventing it from spreading to other residential buildings.

“No life was lost and no injuries sustained, but properties and goods worth several billions of naira is currently being razed down by the inferno” Operation ongoing.”

Traders and property owners who rushed to the scene to salvage some of the items during the raging fire were prevented by emergency response workers to avoid possible loss of life in the process.