The Kwara State Fire Service has confirmed that at least 50 shops and N360million worth of property were destroyed by an inferno which occurred at the popular Owode market in Offa Local Government Area on Tuesday.
A video of the incident seen by SaharaReporters captured the moment some of the shop owners were mourning as they watched their properties destroyed by the fire.
“This fire is too much. This is not caused by NEPA (electricity). Maybe some people were cooking and the fire started from there because this fire is much,” one of the traders said in the video.
Giving an update on the incident, the spokesperson of the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle narrated how the personnel of the agency stopped the fire.
He said investigations revealed that the fire was ignited by a cigarette butt which fell on combustible materials.
The statement continued: “Initial assessment showed that 50 shops were destroyed out of the 3,820 shops and 1,180 stands in the market. The value of commodities and property salvaged by the firefighting efforts is estimated to exceed N12 billion while over N360million property were lost to the incident.”
Adekunle stated that the service’s Director, Prince Falade John, expressed heartfelt condolences to the market sellers who sustained losses as well as the entire market community, while also urged traders to remain cautious and safety conscious at all times.