No fewer than 24 shops were destroyed in a fire outbreak that swept through the popular Mandate Market in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, in the early hours of Tuesday.
The incident, which occurred around 4:44am, affected a section of the market housing over 200 shops, according to the Kwara State Fire Service.
Spokesperson for the agency, Hassan Adekunle, said the inferno had already spread extensively before emergency responders were alerted, a situation that worsened the level of destruction recorded at the market.
Despite the delay, firefighters were able to contain the blaze and prevent it from engulfing the entire trading complex.
Adekunle commended the efforts of the firemen, describing their response as courageous and professional in the face of the emergency.
Preliminary findings, he said, indicated that the fire was triggered by a power surge.
According to him, the blaze reportedly started from a shop where phone accessories were sold and phone-charging services operated before spreading to adjoining shops stocked with food items and other goods.
Traders and market leaders at the scene praised the swift intervention of the fire service, noting that the situation could have been far worse without the prompt response of firefighters.
The Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, Alabi Muhammed, later visited the market to sympathise with affected shop owners and assess the extent of damage caused by the incident.
During the visit, he met with leaders of the market associations and assured them of the agency’s continued support.
Muhammed also urged traders to prioritise fire safety measures by installing firefighting equipment such as extinguishers, smoke detectors, fire alarms and sprinkler systems in their shops.
He further advised market operators to ensure proper electrical installations and protection devices were put in place to reduce the risk of future fire outbreaks.
The fire service boss reminded traders of the agency’s routine fire safety sensitisation campaigns across markets in the state and encouraged them to actively participate in the programmes.
