An early morning fire outbreak has destroyed a one-storey shopping complex housing clothes dealers at No. 1, Amore Street, Ajegunle Boundary, Lagos, resulting in the loss of goods worth millions of naira.

No casualty or loss of life was recorded in the incident. The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said it received a distress call at about 2:40 a.m., prompting the immediate activation of the state’s emergency response plan.

According to the agency’s Permanent Secretary, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, responders arrived at the scene at approximately 3:22 a.m., where the shopping complex was already engulfed in flames.

“The fire spread rapidly, reportedly due to the high concentration of combustible materials, as the shops were used mainly for the storage and sale of clothing. Preliminary investigations by the LASEMA Response Team revealed that the fire was triggered by a power surge following the restoration of public electricity supply,” the agency said.

LASEMA said its response team immediately carried out a risk assessment, cordoned off the affected area and activated safety measures to prevent damage to adjoining buildings.

“The agency, working in collaboration with other emergency responders, successfully contained and extinguished the fire, preventing it from spreading to nearby structures. The entire one-storey shopping complex and surrounding shops were completely razed by the fire, with all goods and properties stored therein destroyed,” it said.

The agency added that a physical assessment revealed partial structural compromise of the building, necessitating an immediate structural integrity evaluation.
Caption: Scene of the fire