Power Surge, Negligence Caused Alaba International Market Fire

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service has identified power surge and negligence as the root causes of the inferno that destroyed a section of the Alaba International Market.

Fortunately, the agency confirmed that no casualties or injuries were recorded during the incident.

The Fire Service received a distress call at 7:18 p.m. reporting a fire outbreak at 155 Olojo Drive, opposite Tantalizers, Alaba International Market, in the Ojo Local Government Area. Fire crews from the Ojo and Ijegun-Egba stations were immediately deployed to the scene.

The fire affected multiple lock-up shops of varying sizes within a two-storey building, which occupies approximately 648 square meters of the larger five-hectare market premises.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the fire originated from the topmost floor of the building shortly after electricity was restored. The primary cause was attributed to negligence on the part of some shop owners.

Fire suppression efforts were complicated by the fact that most shops were closed for the day. This necessitated forced entry to gain access and combat the flames. The delay caused by this challenging access contributed to the fire’s spread, though the service was ultimately able to confine the blaze to the affected floor.