Traders at a plank market in Lagos are still counting their losses following an inferno which engulfed the market on Sunday leaving millions of goods and items completely burnt.
Emergency responders comprising LASEMA Response Team and the Lagos State Fire Service had responded to the fire at Ketu Plank Market on Demurin Street, Ketu, Lagos.
Though officials said the cause of the fire incident which started from one part of the market, could not be ascertained, the market was virtually razed down. But no life was lost.
When our correspondent visited the market, the traders were still in shock with few of them checking through the ruins left by the fire.
The traders said over 20 sawing machines, generating sets, several bundles of planks and foams were destroyed.
One of the traders who reportedly lost several bundles of foams worth millions of naira was said to be hospitalized when our correspondent visited.
A trader, Abifarin Lateef aka Sanjay said the fire started at 10:00 a.m, stating that he was at home when he received a call about the fire incident at exactly 10:33 am.
He disclosed that the impact of the fire would reduced if it had happened on a working day.
“We could not salvage anything. All our goods such as planks, foams, sawing machines are all gone. We have been rendered helpless. Where do we start from? By our estimate, what we lost here is more than N200m. We would appreciate any form of assistance from government,” he said.
He also commended the emergency responders, saying four firefighting trucks were mobilized to quench the fire which prevented the inferno from spreading to residential buildings.
Another trader said he lost three sets of chairs, several 6×6 beds to the inferno.
Director-General of the LASEMA, Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyitolu also confirmed that the fire caused “extensive damage with valuable goods having been destroyed.”
