A late-night fire gutted no fewer than 12 shops at the Mayegun Cement Store Market in the Araromi area of Agodi-Gate, Ibadan, leaving traders in anguish and property worth millions of naira reduced to ashes.
The inferno, which started around 10:55 pm on Thursday, raged for over three hours before it was brought under control by operatives of the Oyo State Fire Service.
Eyewitnesses told The PUNCH that the fire broke out at Block A, No. 64 of the market and quickly spread due to the presence of combustible materials and what authorities later traced to an electrical surge.
Confirming the incident, the General Manager of the Oyo State Fire Service, Yemi Akinyinka, said the agency received a distress call at exactly 11:02 pm.
“Our control room received a call through a resident, Mr. Young, reporting the fire incident. Firefighters led by Commander Jimoh were immediately deployed to the scene,” Akinyinka said.
The flames were eventually subdued, but not before devastating several businesses and livelihoods. Traders lamented the loss of goods and wares, calling on the government for assistance and improved electrical safety measures in the market.
