Taiwo Popoola
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) on Saturday said the
Idumota underbridge market at Ebute Ero area has been gutted by fire.
The agency’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos.
Oke-Osanyintolu said LASEMA received a distress call at about 22.20hrs.
“Following distress calls via the 767 and 112 toll-free emergency lines at 2220hrs, LASEMA activated its emergency response teams from Lekki, Cappa and the Command-and-Control Centre, Alausa, Ikeja.
“On arrival at the incident scene by 22.55hrs, it was discovered that multiple buildings used as shops for sales of car spare parts were found engulfed by fire.
“The immediate or remote causes of the fire incident were yet to be ascertained,” he said.
He added that no casualties or injuries were recorded at the incident scene.
“Properties and goods worth hundreds of millions of naira were destroyed by the inferno,” he said.
He added that the agency alongside some responders like Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, and the Federal Fire Service were at the scene to prevent the fire from escalating to adjoining buildings.
“The law enforcement agencies present at the incident scene also activated crowd measures to ensure all-round safety at the incident scene.
“Frantic efforts are ongoing to completely extinguish the fire. Dampening down has commenced to stamp out the remaining pockets of fire.
“Salvage of valuable properties in the recovered shops are ongoing and recovery operation still ongoing,” he said.
