By Ayomide Otitoju
A massive fire swept through the Idumota spare parts market in Lagos State on Friday night, destroying properties worth hundreds of millions of naira.
In a statement released on Saturday, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed the incident. Preliminary investigations revealed that multiple buildings housing car spare parts shops were gutted by the blaze.
“Following distress calls via the 767/112 Toll-Free Emergency Lines at 10:20 p.m., LASEMA activated its Emergency Response Teams from Lekki, Cappa, and the Command and Control Centre in Alausa, Ikeja,” Oke-Osanyintolu stated.
The teams arrived at the scene by 10:55 p.m. to find several buildings engulfed in flames. While the exact cause of the fire remains unknown, the inferno caused significant damage to goods and properties.
Emergency responders, including the LASEMA Shark and Tiger Response Teams, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, and the Federal Fire Service, collaborated to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to neighboring structures. Law enforcement agencies also implemented crowd control measures to ensure public safety.
Thankfully, no casualties or injuries were reported, according to Oke-Osanyintolu. Efforts to extinguish remaining pockets of fire are ongoing, with “dampening down” operations in progress to fully eliminate the threat. Salvage operations are also underway to recover valuable items from the affected shops.
Investigations into the cause of the fire are continuing as recovery and cleanup operations proceed.
