Traders at the Balogun Market in Lagos Island, Lagos State have been counting their losses following the early morning fire outbreak on Monday, claiming they lost goods worth N30 billion.
In separate interviews, the traders told the News Agency of Nigeria that about 11 containers containing bags, shoes and clothing materials had just been off loaded into some of the shops that were razed.
Kadiri Kareem, an attendant in one of the shops, said that her employer had goods worth N27 billion in his containers.
Kareem said: “The containers have just arrived and we have barely completed offloading the goods.
“Nothing has been sold out of them before this fire.
“This is not a good way to start the New Year.”
Rasaq Ekunsumi, the Secretary of the Balogun Community in Central Lagos, said that the fire started around 4am from one of the containers attached to the five-storey building.
Ekunsumi said that the building first went up in flames and spread to other shops.
He added that the fire spread quickly because the items in the containers were inflammable.
He said: “We started calling the fire service immediately the flame was noticed.
“But they did not arrive until fire had spread to two adjacent buildings.
“It is not what we could handle because the fire began where rubber products are being sold.”
Meanwhile, Rasaq Fadipe, the Director of the Lagos State Fire Service, has called for assistance from other rescue agents as they moved equipment to fight the inferno.
Fadipe made the call while inspecting the firefighting operation at the market.
According to him, the help was needed to remove obstructions around the area to enable fire trucks access the buildings and combat the fire.
NAN reports that both the National Emergency management Agency and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency are on ground to assist the fire service in curtailing further spread of the fire.
Others are the Lagos State Building Control Agency, the Red Cross and the Lagos Island Community leaders.
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