A fire on Friday destroyed goods worth millions of naira at a popular market in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
The fire broke out at around 9:36 p.m. at the Olusola Saraki market in Ita-Amo, Ilorin metropolis, the spokesperson of the state fire service, Hassan Adekunle, said in a statement in Ilorin.
Stores affected by the fire included meat vendors, clothing stores and supply stores.
Firefighters rushed to the scene and discovered several shops on fire in a market comprising 276 shops.
“Through quick intervention, professionalism and experience, our team managed to contain the inferno, limiting the damage to just seven stores and saving 269 others.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the incident could have been caused by a power surge following fluctuation in the power supply of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), as reported by market security personnel,” Adekunle added.
The Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, Falade John Olumuyiwa, sympathized with market leaders, affected shop owners and the entire market community.
He expressed hope that their losses would be recovered in multiple aspects and urged everyone to adopt fire safety measures to avoid future incidents.