No fewer than 48 shops were destroyed following an early morning fire outbreak at the Elegushi Model Market complex in the Lekki area of Lagos State.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday, prompting an emergency response from officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA.
The Permanent Secretary of the agency, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed the development in a statement, saying the distress call was received at about 2 am.
According to him, emergency responders arrived at the scene to find the market already engulfed in flames, but swift intervention helped to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to adjoining buildings.
“Preliminary investigations conducted by the Shark Response Team revealed that the fire started from one of the makeshift stalls within the compound of the market and quickly escalated to the main building. The cause of the fire was not known at the time of this report,” Oke-Osanyintolu said.
He added that no life was lost and no injuries were recorded during the incident.
“Collaborative efforts by all stakeholders ensured coordinated firefighting to completely extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading to adjoining buildings,” he stated.
A post-disaster assessment later confirmed that 48 shops were affected by the inferno, leading to significant losses for traders operating within the market.
The LASEMA boss disclosed that traders were sensitised on fire prevention and safety measures to reduce the risk of future occurrences.
“Forty-eight shops were affected by the fire. The market union executives were advised to place fire extinguishers in strategic locations to enable them to arrest or control minor fires before they escalate and spread,” he said.
He also urged shop owners to be more conscious of fire safety by installing smoke detectors and fire alarms within the market premises.
