A fire outbreak in the early hours of Saturday destroyed nine locked-up shops at the Nigerian Railway Shopping Complex along Aleshinloye Market in Ibadan South-West Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The inferno, which reportedly started around 5am, destroyed goods, household items, business equipment and other valuables estimated to be worth millions of naira.
The affected shops were reportedly locked when the fire started, with residents around Quarters 4 said to have noticed the incident and alerted the traders at about 6am.
One of the affected traders, Busari Olayemi, who operates an interior decoration business with his partner, Adebola Adeniyi, said the fire destroyed items worth approximately N21 million.
According to Olayemi, the destroyed property included window blinds, curtain fabrics, industrial sewing machines and other equipment used for their business.
He said the incident had left the affected traders facing significant financial losses, as several of their businesses were operating from the affected shops.
The cause of the fire had not been established at the time of the report.
Firefighters were alerted after the blaze had already caused significant damage, with efforts subsequently made to prevent the flames from spreading to other parts of the shopping complex.
The incident has once again raised concerns about fire safety and emergency response around markets and commercial areas, where delayed detection of outbreaks can result in substantial losses.
Authorities are expected to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident and determine the cause of the fire.
ALSO READ:Panic As Fire Breaks Out At Popular Calabar Shopping Outlet
Hope you find the Above publication useful, Calabargist will love to keep you updated via our newsletter by subscribing with your email.
