Fire guts 15 shops at Ilorin modern market
Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service (LSFRS) has said that it attended to 11 cases of fire outbreaks in markets between January and November 2023. 
The agency stated this at the official launch of the 2023 Fire Prevention Campaign in collaboration with the Lagos State Safety Commission. The campaign, entitled: “Mitigating fire risk through fire prevention”, aimed to raise awareness in public marketplaces.
   
The event was flag-off at the Balogun Market, Lagos, by the Director General of the Lagos State Safety Commission, Lanre Mojola, and Director, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margret Adeseye.
 
The campaign was extended to Docemo, Oju-Olobun, Jankara, and Cairo Market in Oshodi. Speaking at the forum, the two directors represented by Deputy Director II, LSFRS, Alelamole Abiola, emphasised the pivotal role of market traders in ensuring market safety.

Adeseye stressed the importance of instilling safety culture within and around marketplaces, with the aim of positively influencing both traders and customers.
   
She further disclosed that the service responded to 12 market-related calls this year due to negligence, highlighting the need to sensitise the market populace.
   
The DG also urged market dwellers to adhere to safety warnings and promptly report any emergencies to the State’s toll-free numbers 767 or 112.
MEANWHILE, 15 shops were razed by a fire outbreak that occurred at the popular Oja Tuntun Market in Ilorin, Kwara state capital on Wednesday night.

The Guardian gathered that the inferno started around 10:30 p.m. and destroyed 15 out of the 1,072 shops. Oja Tuntun has 984 stands and 27 warehouses.

Spokesperson of the state Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, confirmed the incident. Adekunle said: “The damage was minimal but couldn’t ascertain the cause of the fire.

The fire service’s prompt and efficient response helped save commodities and property valued at over N25 billion. Investigation is ongoing.” The service urged the residents to cultivate habit of switching off their electrical appliances before bedtime to prevent the chances of fire outbreaks in homes, marketplaces and offices.

The state governor, AbdulRaman Abdulrazaq, also visited the scene of the incident on Wednesday, where he sympathised with the victims and commended the firemen for managing the situation.