A fire outbreak on Wednesday razed 14 shops at Ogundipe Market in Ibadan, Oyo State, leaving traders counting their losses.
The Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Fire Reform and Chairman of the State Fire Services Agency, Moroof Akinwande, confirmed the incident in a statement.
According to him, fire personnel led by CFS Olayiwola T.K. responded swiftly to the distress call and met 14 out of 42 shops already engulfed in flames.
The officers curtailed the fire and restricted it from spreading to nearby shops. No casualty was recorded, and properties worth billions of naira were saved,” Akinwande said.
He added that an investigation had commenced to determine the cause of the fire, while urging traders to install fire extinguishers in their shops to curb similar incidents at early stages.
In a separate incident, a four-bedroom flat at Ifesowapo Maternity, Zone 2, Ajoda, in Egbeda Local Government Area was also destroyed by fire in the early hours of Wednesday.
Akinwande said the fire service received the distress call at 12:42 a.m. and immediately deployed officers led by ACFS Adisa Wasiu.
The fire, reportedly caused by an electrical surge from a plugged gadget left unattended, consumed the residential building but was prevented from spreading to other properties.
No casualty was recorded, but properties worth millions of naira were lost, Akinwande confirmed, advising residents to always switch off and unplug electrical appliances when not in use.
