Dozens of traders were left counting their losses after a fire engulfed Emab Plaza, a commercial complex located behind Mandilas on Lagos Island, destroying goods worth millions of naira and displacing businesses overnight.
The incident occurred just hours after a fire broke out at the Afriland Tower six-storey building on Broad Street, in the Lagos Island Local Government Area of Lagos State.
As gathered, the outbreak, caused by a generator, was being contained by officials from the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service to prevent it from spreading to surrounding buildings.
Although the emergency team managed to put out the massive inferno, the traders couldn’t recover anything, as all they had worked for were reduced to ashes.
The Director of Operations and Maintenance for the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Olatunde Akinsanya, who confirmed the cause of the outbreak, noted that no casualties were recorded in the incident.
Akinsanya commended the efforts of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), and other stakeholders for their swift response in curtailing the fire.
He also urged market users and Lagosians at large to adopt necessary preventive measures to help avert future disasters in the state.
Reacting to the incident, the Iyaloja General of Nigeria, Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, who visited the scene, cautioned traders across Lagos markets to avoid the negligent use of generator sets as part of safety measures to prevent fire outbreaks and the loss of property.
Speaking to The Guild correspondent at the scene on Wednesday, Tinubu-Ojo noted that the state government has, over the years, consistently warned against the improper use of generators in markets to reduce the risk of fire incidents and safeguard investments.
The market leader also expressed concern over the lack of adequate spacing between shops, which she said contributed significantly to the spread of the fire and the high number of affected stalls.
“We have looked thoroughly at the structures and we have realized the fact that one of the factors that contributed to this is having generators upstairs. If the generators were downstairs, that would be understandable,” she said.
“We have been kicking against such not yesterday but five to six years ago but it’s bad to see that some of the users of the market still do that.
“The shop spacing is also a factor. We walked around together and you could see that the structures are very closed up. You can hardly walk in between the buildings and the extension at front is also what to look into.
On the next steps, Tinubu-Ojo stated that a detailed report would be compiled and submitted to the governor, expressing confidence that the government would take appropriate action.
She also sympathized with the victims and assured them that efforts would be made to explore ways to support them.
