Traders in Frenzy as Fire Guts 6 Buildings at Balogun Market

January 12, 2015 – There was pandemonium Monday morning at the popular Balogun Market, in Lagos Island this morning when fire consumed six buildings in the market.

Tension was palpable as traders run hear and there in attempt to salvage some of the items in the buildings. Traffic was terrible following the large number of traders and passersby that besieged the vicinity to catch a glimpse of the inferno.

Officials of the state and federal fire service and other agencies deployed to the scene had hectic task gaining access to the building to put out the fire.

Eye witness told our correspondent that at least 100 shops were affected by the fire in the newly built Balogun Market adding that the fire started around 4.00 am.

“ Not less than 100 shops were affected by the fire. Look at those buildings, six of them were affected. The least among them is three storey building which are four while the rest two are 5 storey building”, Kehinde Babatunde told our correspondent.

The six buildings are said to house hundreds of shops and warehouses were assorted materials like clothes, shoes, electronics and others were being sold.

Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Rasak Fadipe told reporters that the fire started around 4.00pm and that six buildings were involved, saying that about six fire tankers had been deployed to fight the fire.

He said the cause of the incident is yet to be ascertained but lamented that the presence of large crowd is affecting the fire operation, saying that the fire has affected several shops in the buildings.

Fadipe said fire trucks from Sari Iganmu, Isolo, Ilupeju and Alausa were battling the fire and that it was still raging seriously at the time of filing the report.

General Manager, LASEMA, Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu confirmed that the fire started around 4.00am and that the agency and others were on ground to put out the fire.