Properties and goods worth millions of naira were destroyed as fire razed a plank market located in the Awori bus stop in the Abule Egba area of Lagos State on Sunday.
According to the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service five mini buses, two pickup vans, and two cars were lost to the fire.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the incident occurred at about 3:00 pm on Sunday.
In a video, a significant portion of the sawmill was reduced to ashes, while a small portion of the sawmill remained unaffected by the fire.
The shopkeepers attempted to save their unaffected items from the fire, while the fire departments were working to douse the flames.
The Director Public Affairs, Ahmodu Shakiri Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service disclosed that the cause of the fire was due to the breaking of a high-tension power cable on a row of market stalls, which resulted in a bang and an explosion of fire.
He added, “The cause is attributed to the snapping of a high-tension power cable on a row of market stalls which subsequently erupted in Fire accompanied by a bang. The resultant Fire is aided by the dry nature of the combustible wooden materials involved leading to the sporadic spread. Five rows of various sizes stalls Nine Vehicles consisting of 5 mini buses, 2 pickup vans, and 2 cars were destroyed in the fire.
“They called by 15:47hrs and the fire rescue service got there by 15:56hrs. The accident occurred at Awori bus stop, Abule Egba, Lagos Abeokuta Expressway. It is a sawmill Fire on a vast land. The Fire has been curtailed from spreading beyond the sawmill and put under control.
“The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service in Agege, Abesan, and Alausa Fire Station were present on the scene to put off the fire immediately. There was no Casualty recorded.”
