An early morning fire outbreak destroyed shops and goods worth millions of naira at the popular Bola Ige International Market, new Gbagi Ibadan on Monday.
The inferno razed six shops that were filled with different types of fabrics, worth millions of naira, though no casualty was recorded.
The Chairman, Bola Ige International Market, Alhaji Ganiyu Adebayo, said the disaster struck the market at about 7:00 am. He added that the fire service station at the new Gbagi Market was alerted and fire bridges responded promptly and put out the inferno.
According to him: “I was at home when they called me that there was a fire outbreak at Rashlad and Kudus lines part of the market. I was informed that a woman lighted a candle in her shop early this morning and did not put it off and closed the shop. The firefighters did very well, they prevented the inferno from spreading to other parts of the market.”
A member of the market’s Council of Elders, Alhaji Rasheed Oladepo, also said: “It is not electrical appliances that caused the fire outbreak, according to the reports we got from those that witnessed it. They told us that the shop that caused the fire outbreak had opened as early as 7:00 am, that the owner of the shop lighted a candle for prayers and left it there till it spread out.”
He advised traders in the market to be careful and conscious while they seek spiritual help so as not to affect others and as well stop cooking food in their shops in order to prevent fire disasters.
Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary, Oyo State Ministry of Trade, Industry Investment and Cooperatives, Dr. ‘Bunmi Babalola, who represented the commissioner in charge of the ministry, Olasunkanmi Olaleye, who visited the scene of the incident, commiserated with the affected traders.
He, however, admonished traders on the need to always take measures to prevent fire outbreaks. He also summoned the executive council of the market to a meeting with the ministry’s management on Tuesday, August 9.