Fire guts Balogun market, 86 traders affected

Ibrahim Quadri

Not less than 86 traders were affected when another a fire outbreak occured at the popular Balogun Market in Lagos on Monday with goods worth millions of Naira destroyed.

Some of the shops affected included the Cosmetics, Hair Attachment section at Issah Williams Street, off Breadfruit Street.

It was gathered that the inferno affected 20 built-up shops, 3 warehouses and and 16 attachments in a three storey building.

Confirming the incident, the Southwest Coordinator of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ibrahim Farinloye, said the fire started at about 12 noon and was estimated to have affected about 86 traders altogether.

Although, no one could give information on the exact cause of the fire, but leadership of the traders decried filling a building with too many power generators that the traders use during the day.

Iya Oloja Hair Attachment and Cosmetics section and Baba Oja of Breadfruit Balogun market, Alhaja Kemi Gbajumo and Prince Adewunmi Balogun, who were present at the scene expressed sadness over the losses incurred especially that many of the traders restocked their shops recently through bank facilities and will be very difficult for them to recover from the losses in good time as there is no insurance coverage facilities to cover the traders