Lagos state is gradually becoming notorious for fire incidents, having recorded many cases in the last two years, the recent one being the Ladipo auto spare parts market fire. While the government has done everything possible to forestall recurrence, the latest fire disaster has left victims with varying degrees of losses, as reported by DAYO AYEYEMI and LEKAN OLABULO.
For many traders in Ladipo International Auto Spare Parts Market, in the Mushin area of Lagos State, Sunday May 30, 2021 was a bleak day. The inferno, which started at Iya-Ijebu Plaza on Olapeju Street is one of the many fire occurrences in Lagos State in the last two years. As at the time of filing this report, the sense of loss by the victims has only been more painful by the day.
When Nigerian Tribune visited the market, the traders gathered in small circles wearing long faces and bemoaning their lot. Some of them were seen salvaging what was left aftermath the disaster. Speaking to the Nigerian Tribune, some of the traders lamented that they lost everything to the fire incident.
“We have lost everything to the fire incident. Government should come to our aid,” they said.
Apart from the goods that were destroyed in the inferno, some of the traders told Nigerian Tribune that they lost money to the incident. Apart from the proceeds of trade that were burnt, they alleged that hoodlums who pretended to be helping in putting out the fire, also made away with cash from some of the shops.
It was also gathered that some of the affected traders included a new set of graduates, who were just ‘settled’ by their masters after serving for many years.
A trader, Aloysius Chukwuma, who claimed to have been in the market for about 12 years, said he lost one million naira to the fire. “I was in my house around Jakande Gate area, when I received a call from my former boss that our plaza was on fire. I quickly came down here.
“By the time I got here, my shop was completely burnt. What I have in my shop before the fire incident was close to one million naira. I will have to start over again .Where do I get money to do that? The country is hard. We hope that the government will help us,” he appealed.
Another trader, Sunday Ezeja, said he also lost his shop in the inferno. Sunday’s brother, Odinaka Ezeja, also lost two shops to the incident. According to Sunday, they lost over N6 million to the inferno.
“I was in my house at First Gate area of FESTAC when I heard the news of the incident. I left what I was doing and quickly moved here but it was late before I got here. My shop was completely burnt because it was close to where the fire started. I had over one million naira worth of goods in the burnt shop,” Sunday told Nigerian Tribune.
A trader who simply identified himself as Ben also said that he lost over N2 million worth of goods to the inferno. According to him, “majority of the shops here sell plastic goods such as bumpers and lights. Only a few shop sell engine and other parts. Just a few shops on the ground floor of the other side were not really affected.
“By the time I got here, there was confusion everywhere. The hoodlums had moved in. They were breaking into shops and helping people and, at the same time, looting goods and money. The information was late. The fire was well alive when the news broke out.”
The trader also stated that “I feel for myself but I also feel for some boys that were just settled by their masters after serving them for many years. What will those boys do now? The government should come to our aid. This complex will have to be broken down for reconstruction and you know what that means in our market.”
The traders also stated that “we have not spoken with the owners of the complex. We don’t know their plans. The burnt one was not a new building. They are already demolishing the burnt structure. Certainly they will want to rebuild it as soon as possible.”
He however called on the state government and the emergency response agencies to “look at what they can do to alleviate the pains of the traders. They must not leave us alone to face this. We know that they have not been doing anything in the past .Things are hard now.”
Head, Public Education, Lagos State Fire Service, Mr. Amodu Sakiru, said the mandate of the agency is to prevent fire outbreak from happening in the first place because it is less costly, while fire fighting has implication on health, lives and the economy. He said the agency has fire prevention to compliance of service code.
“We do this from time to time through television, radio and social media engagement. We also do civic engagement by inspecting buildings. Much of the concerns are the commercial enterprises. We go round to tell them the importance of insurance fire prevention and fire safety equipment,” he said.
According to him, 105 fire incidents were recorded in April, 2021 and 100 incidents in May, 2021. Between May 2019 and May 2021, he disclosed that over 2,000 fire incidents occurred in Lagos metropolis. According to him, while market fire incidents were about 40, others occurred in residential and commercial buildings.
In the Ladipo market incident, he said that 50 shops out of 80 were razed in one block of building before the Lagos fire service curtailed it. This came few weeks where about 90 shops and offices were razed in the fire outbreak that occurred at Kairo market in Oshodi, Lagos, destroying goods worth millions of naira. Kairo market is a popular textile market within Oshodi market, a home of textile wholesalers and retailers. The fire incident razed one part of the market, with several other shops spared due to the intervention of firefighters.
It is also coming almost one month after fire gutted many stalls in Oko Baba Sawmill in Ebute Metta.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has attributed sources of fire incidents in Lagos to either power surge or explosives and accelerants used by unknown individuals. Quick responses of LASEMA have saved lives and properties from devastation arising from fire incidents.
According to the Director General/Chief Executive Officer, LASEMA, Dr. Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, the combined team comprising the agency’s LASEMA Response Team, LASEMA Response Unit Fire, Lagos State and Federal Fire services, made concerted efforts and subdued the inferno, preventing it from spreading to the surrounding buildings
Commenting on the Mushin incident, Director, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Mrs. Margaret Adeseye, disclosed that the agency received distress call at about 0731hrs on Sunday morning from 5, Rowland Street, Olateju, Ladipo Market, Mushin Lagos that a building was on fire.
“Firefighting operations started immediately as two fire stations, Bolade and Ilupeju were mobilised to curtail the spread of the inferno from causing more damage, which led to the prevention of other market buildings from being razed by the fire,” she said.
Mrs. Adeseye further stated that on arrival at the scene, fire had gutted a one storey circular block of multitude shops used to trade in spare parts.
Her words: “Firefighting commenced with support from the Federal Fire Service and the Nigerian Police. The operation was concluded at 1350hrs for stock taking and identification of the cause of fire. Investigations are ongoing.” She urged residents to always be careful and vigilant to avert fire outbreaks in their environment.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, Adewale Ahmed, recently disclosed that Lagos State recorded about 39 fire incidents in the first week of 2021.
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