A devastating fire broke out at a spare parts market located under the Idumota Bridge in Lagos State on Friday night, destroying properties worth hundreds of millions of naira.
The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed the incident in a statement on Saturday.
He revealed that the agency received a distress call regarding the fire at approximately 10:20 p.m.
“Following distress calls via the 767/112 Toll-Free Emergency Lines at 2220hrs, LASEMA activated its Emergency Response Teams from Lekki, Cappa, and the Command and Control Centre in Alausa, Ikeja,” the statement read.
Emergency teams arrived at the scene by 10:55 p.m. to find multiple shops, mainly used for selling car spare parts, engulfed in flames. While the cause of the fire remains unknown, the inferno led to significant destruction of goods and properties.
LASEMA’s Shark and Tiger Response Teams, alongside the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service and the Federal Fire Service, collaborated to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to nearby buildings. Law enforcement agencies also implemented crowd control measures to ensure safety during the operation.
Dr. Oke-Osanyintolu reported that no casualties or injuries were recorded, adding that a “dampening down” process was underway to eliminate residual fire pockets. Salvage operations to recover valuable items from the affected shops are ongoing.
Efforts to fully extinguish the fire and complete recovery operations continue as authorities assess the extent of the damage.
