Goods and household items worth millions of naira have been destroyed after a fire engulfed eight shops at Gbagi Market in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The incident occurred on Thursday night at the popular market located along the Ibadan-Ife Expressway.
The Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Service, Maroof Akinwande, confirmed the incident in a statement made available to journalists on Friday morning.
According to Akinwande, no life was lost in the fire, but eight large shops were affected by the inferno.
He said firefighters responded to the incident and prevented the flames from spreading to other parts of the market, thereby limiting further damage to property.
“Upon arrival, the crew met some shops engulfed in flames, with thick smoke billowing from the affected areas,” he said.
Akinwande, however, identified illegal structures and goods obstructing access roads within the market as major challenges faced by the firefighters during the operation.
He explained that the obstructions made it difficult for firefighting trucks to gain free access to the affected area.
The fire service chairman stressed that the timely intervention of the agency helped prevent the incident from causing more extensive damage.
The cause of the fire and the exact value of the losses had yet to be established as of the time of filing this report.
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