An early morning fire has destroyed several shops at a market in Oyo State, leaving traders counting their losses after the blaze swept through parts of the market.
The fire reportedly started around midnight on Monday and affected businesses operated by gold dealers, furniture sellers, second-hand clothing traders and other merchants.
A trader identified as Iya Alia said the destruction was extensive, claiming that nearly 300 shops may have been affected.
“This is devastating. This is huge. I don’t even know how to explain it. Close to 300 shops were destroyed,” another eyewitness said.
However, the Oyo State Fire Service said it was too early to determine the exact number of shops destroyed or the total value of goods lost.
The Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Fire Reforms and State Chairman of Fire Services, Morof Akinwande, confirmed the incident, saying the fire started in the middle of the market following an explosion.
“Yes, it occurred. That number we cannot ascertain, but what is known is that some shops were destroyed and the fire incident started in the middle of the market with an explosion,” Akinwande said.
He explained that authorities had yet to determine whether the explosion was caused by gas or another source, noting that such an occurrence could contribute to the rapid spread of a fire.
According to Akinwande, firefighters successfully brought the blaze under control by about 1am.
He added that determining the number of shops destroyed and the value of goods lost would be part of the post-fire assessment.
“On the number of shops and inventory, that is too early because that’s post-fire outbreak investigation. So, I cannot be accurate about the number of shops that were destroyed. But shops were actually gone,” he said.
The latest incident has renewed concerns about the recurring cases of market fires in Ibadan and other parts of Oyo State.
In 2024, more than 200 shops in the herbal section of Oranya Market were reportedly completely destroyed by fire.
The latest blaze also occurred just two days after another fire outbreak destroyed nine locked-up shops at the Nigerian Railway shopping complex along Aleshinloye Market in the Ibadan South-West Local Government Area.
Goods, household items and other properties worth millions of naira were reportedly lost in that incident.
One of the affected traders, Busari Olayemi, estimated his losses at about N21 million. The destroyed items included window blinds, curtain fabrics, industrial sewing machines and other business equipment.
He also said fabrics belonging to customers and stored at the premises were destroyed in the fire.
Authorities are continuing to assess the extent of the damage from the latest market fire, while the exact number of affected shops, value of losses and circumstances surrounding the explosion remain subject to further investigation.
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