Properties worth millions of Naira were, on Thursday evening, destroyed in Akure, the Ondo State capital, at the popular Odopetu Market
It was gathered that no life was lost in the incident but many shops within the market were destroyed in the inferno.
Most shops affected by the fire outbreak, were stocked with foodstuffs and most of all the shops were completely razed down by fire with foodstuffs inside the shops.
The cause of the inferno was not known as at the press time, while most traders affected by the fire, described the fire outbreak as a mysterious one.
Some of the food items destroyed by the fire, included, rice, beans, tubers of yam, fowl and vegetable oil, among others.
According to one of the traders at the market who explained that the fire might have been caused by power surge while another source said there was no power supply to the area when the fire started.
One of the residents of the area said: “The cause of the fire incident was not clear yet to anyone because everybody had gone to sleep and all the traders have all gone home. We just heard the noise in the night and we got there and saw everywhere on fire.”
It was also gathered that men of the Ondo State Fire Service were not around to put out the fire as all efforts made by the residents to reach to them were unsuccessful
One of the affected traders who identified herself as Mrs Janet Olorunfemi, said she just loaded her shop with foodstuffs to sell for the Christmas and New Yer festivals but lamenting that she had lost everything to the inferno.
In his reaction, chairman of the Akure South Local Government, Mr Bayo Alarapon, described the incident as unfortunate. He said the council would set up a panel to investigate the incident.
“It is very unfortunate that this kind of incident is happening during this hard time of recession, on our own part, we shall look for the ways to assist the affected traders.”