Fire razes section of Alaba market in Lagos

A section of the Alaba International Market in Lagos was gutted by fire on Tuesday evening.

Videos shared on X showed thick smoke and flames billowing from the furniture section of the market, located near the Ojo LGA secretariat in Ojo town.

Ikechukwu Ude, an X user who shared the footage, said the blaze started from “a little spark” before spreading rapidly through adjoining shops.

In another video, traders stood at a distance, visibly distressed as the blaze engulfed their shops.

Footage also showed officials of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service battling to contain the inferno.

Speaking to TheCable on Wednesday, Shakiru Amodu, director of public affairs at the state fire service, confirmed the incident and added that details were still being gathered.

“I’m aware of the incident; the Ojo fire station dealt with the scene along Ijegun — it happened just yesterday,” Amodu said.

“It’s just safe to say we can speak later in the day — maybe in another hour — and I should be able to get back to you.”

In a statement shared with TheCable afterwards and signed by Maria Fadairo, senior public affairs officer of the Lagos fire service, the agency said the incident was caused by an electrical spark.

“The incident involved multiple lock-up shops of varying sizes situated within a two-storey building occupying approximately 648 square meters, within a larger market premises spanning about five hectares,” the statement reads.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the Fire originated from the topmost floor of the building shortly after electricity was restored, due to negligence on the part of some shop owners.

“Access to the affected areas proved challenging as most shops were closed for the day, necessitating forced entry to gain access and suppress the Fire, a delay that contributed to the spread of the flames which was however confined to the floor.”

The affected shops were primarily involved in the sale of furniture items and alternative power equipment with a law office. Fortunately, no casualties or injuries were recorded.

The Alaba International Market, situated along the Lagos–Badagry expressway, is one of West Africa’s biggest commercial hubs for electronics, furniture and building materials.

The fire comes amid a series of market and building infernos in Lagos in recent months.

In September, at least 10 people died in a fire at Afriland Towers, a six-storey commercial building on Broad Street, Lagos Island.

United Capital Plc, which occupies the third and fourth floors of the building, confirmed that six of its employees were among the victims.

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) also said four of its staffers lost their lives in the incident.

Preliminary findings indicated that the blaze began in the inverter room in the basement before spreading to the upper floors.

Videos from the scene showed trapped workers smashing windows to escape while others jumped onto makeshift foam cushions below to avoid suffocation.

Emergency responders from the Federal Fire Service and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service rescued nine people, five of whom were revived on site.