Traders in Bariga, Lagos State, were thrown into mourning in the early hours of Wednesday after fire gutted no fewer than 26 shops, destroying goods worth millions of naira.
The incident occurred barely 24 hours after the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) held a summit to address disaster preparedness and response strategies in the state, raising concerns about the recurring nature of fire outbreaks in markets and business districts across Lagos.
According to a statement by the Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, the fire started around 4 a.m. at the Bariga Market. By the time emergency responders arrived, several shops were already engulfed in flames.
“Further information received at the scene revealed that the fire started from one of the shops and quickly spread to others because the key-clamp shops were supported and partitioned by wooden frameworks,” Oke-Osanyintolu explained.
He added that firefighters and emergency responders worked tirelessly to put out the flames and prevent them from spreading to other parts of the market.
“The fire was extinguished through collaborative efforts of emergency responders and was quickly contained. The incident scene was proactively managed to avoid any secondary incidents,” he noted.
While the cause of the fire could not be immediately determined, preliminary assessments indicated that 26 shops were destroyed, with traders losing goods and wares worth several millions of naira. Fortunately, no casualties or injuries were reported.
For many traders, the incident was a devastating blow, coming on a day that was meant for Independence Day celebrations. A shop owner, who preferred not to be named, said, “Everything I have worked for went up in flames. We are left with nothing. It’s very painful because we don’t know when or how we will recover from this.”
The Bariga fire adds to the growing list of recent fire tragedies in Lagos. Just last month, on September 18, a fire outbreak at the Afriland Tower on Broad Street, Lagos Island, left seven people dead. The victims, who had been rescued from the high-rise building, later died in different hospitals across the state. That incident was one of two separate fire outbreaks that hit the Lagos Island Business District in one day, destroying goods worth millions of naira and leaving several others injured.
Observers say the recurring cases point to deeper issues around safety compliance, poor infrastructure, and the use of wooden frameworks and combustible materials in market structures. Safety experts have also urged market associations and local authorities to enforce strict fire safety protocols, including the installation of fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, and access routes for fire trucks.
LASEMA has continued to appeal to residents to prioritize safety and report fire hazards promptly. Dr. Oke-Osanyintolu assured that the agency would investigate the root cause of the Bariga fire while also reinforcing its commitment to swift emergency response across the state.
Meanwhile, traders are counting their losses, with many appealing to the Lagos State Government for immediate support and relief materials to cushion the effects of the disaster.
The Bariga fire is a sobering reminder of the urgent need for stronger safety measures in Lagos markets, where overpopulation, poor planning, and combustible shop structures often create the conditions for large-scale destruction when fire breaks out.