Fire guts section of Alaba Market in Lagos

A section of the Alaba International Market in Lagos State was engulfed by fire on Tuesday evening, destroying yet-to-be-ascertained worth of goods and properties.

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A video shared on X (formerly Twitter) showed flames and thick smoke billowing from the furniture section of the market, located near the Ojo Local Government Secretariat in Ojo Town.

An X user, Ikechukwu Ude, who posted the footage, said the fire started from “a little spark” before spreading rapidly through rows of shops.

In the video, traders were seen crying as the blaze consumed their goods, while others made frantic efforts to retrieve whatever they could before the flames intensified.

It was unclear whether operatives of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service or other emergency responders had arrived at the scene at the time the video was recorded.

Eyewitnesses were heard calling for help and accusing market security of reacting too slowly.

The Alaba International Market, located along the Lagos–Badagry Expressway, is one of West Africa’s largest hubs for electronics, furniture, and building materials, with thousands of traders from across Nigeria and neighbouring countries.

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As of press time Tuesday night, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service had not issued an official statement on the incident or confirmed the extent of damage.

Some social media users reacted to the video with dismay.

Recent Lagos fire incident

The latest market fire adds to a growing list of fire disasters in Lagos in recent months.

Earlier in September, at least 10 people were confirmed dead following a fire at Afriland Towers, a six-storey commercial building on Broad Street, Lagos Island.

United Capital Plc, which occupies the third and fourth floors of the building, said six of its employees died in the incident.

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) earlier confirmed that four of its staff members were also among the victims.

“It is with profound grief that the Management and Staff of United Capital Plc announce the passing of six of our dear colleagues, following the tragic fire at Afriland Towers on 16 September,” the company said in a statement.

Preliminary investigations indicated that the fire began in the inverter room in the basement before spreading to upper floors.

Videos from the scene showed trapped workers breaking windows for air while others jumped onto makeshift foamy materials below to escape the smoke.

Emergency responders from the Federal Fire Service and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service rescued nine people, five of whom were revived on site.