LAGOS, Nigeria – Shops and goods have been destroyed in a fire outbreak at Ikotun Market near Synagogue in Lagos State, forcing traffic authorities to divert vehicles as firefighters worked to contain the blaze on Sunday.
The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service said it received an emergency call at 10:24 a.m. and deployed firefighters from its Ejigbo and Isolo stations, who arrived at the scene 12 minutes later. Footage released by the service showed burnt shop structures, collapsed metal roofs, concrete debris and thick smoke as emergency personnel battled the fire. The cause of the outbreak had not been established as of the time of reporting.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) said no casualty had been recorded at the time of its update, while efforts were continuing to completely extinguish the fire. LASTMA also warned motorists of traffic disruption around the affected area, saying the entire lane inward Synagogue had been blocked to vehicular movement. It said a contraflow arrangement had been introduced to ease movement and manage congestion along the corridor.
The fire incident comes a day after another outbreak affected the top floor of a one-storey residential building at No. 9, Ola Market, Adedeji, Itire, Surulere, on Saturday, November 14. Firefighters from the Sari Iganmu and Isolo stations contained the Surulere blaze, with no casualties reported. Authorities have yet to establish whether the two incidents were connected.
The latest outbreak has renewed attention on fire safety in Lagos markets and residential areas, particularly the need for accessible emergency routes, functional fire prevention measures and prompt reporting of incidents.
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