FIJ
On Wednesday morning, the bustling city of Lagos woke up to the news of a devastating fire at the popular Ladipo Plank Market in Orile.
FIJ learned from a resident of the area that the fire started the night before and extended until Wednesday. Our reporter who visited on Wednesday evening overheard an elderly man telling someone on the phone that the fire started at 12:10 am.
The fire, which began while residents were asleep, had not been completely put out when FIJ visited around 5 pm. It was somewhat raging, although checked by officials of the Lagos State Fire Service.
As sympathisers commiserated with the business owners whose sources of livelihood went down with the fire and onlookers fed their curious eyes on the scene, the firefighters fought the fire with precision. A roaring tractor manned by a firefighter stood on the rubbles and soot, digging up residues of the destruction caused by the inferno.
Amid the cacophony, scrap pickers rummaged through the rubble made of charred planks and burnt metal and aluminium. They were retrieving what they could from the debris. The charred planks revealed the magnitude of the tragedy that had befallen the market.
The natural hue of the sky around the market had turned a smoky shade. The air was grey, thick and choky. Of the vast expanse of land that housed the market, only a small portion escaped the scorching fury of the fire.
THE CAUSE REMAINS A MYSTERY
This reporter observed that the cause of the fire remained a mystery as residents gathered in small groups, contemplating a sea of endless possibilities. No one could pinpoint the exact cause.
Hammed Jimoh, a businessman whose goods were lost in the inferno, sat beside two other men on a wooden structure. He told FIJ that goods worth millions of naira went up in flames.
When asked if he could ascertain the cause of the fire, he said, “We really don’t know what happened. No one does. I received a call around 1:30 am from someone who informed me that this place had been set on fire.”
Jimoh said it was surprising, considering that the leaders of the plank market often ensured that the lights were turned off at 8:00 pm until 8:00 am the following day.
“It’s hard to pinpoint the cause. We can’t even say this was what happened,” said Jimoh.
“We have security guards here, but we haven’t seen them. They are yet to show up today.”
