Fire Razes About 300 Shops At Oyo Market

About 300 shops were destroyed after an early morning fire swept through Oranya Market in Ibadan North-East Local Government Area of Oyo State on Monday.

The fire affected retail sections of the market, including shops used by gold sellers, furniture dealers and second-hand clothes sellers. Punch quoted eyewitnesses who said the blaze began around midnight and destroyed close to 300 shops.

Morof Akinwande, Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Fire Reforms and Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Services, confirmed the incident. He said the fire started in the middle of the market with an explosion and had been brought under control by 1am.

Akinwande said it was too early to give a final inventory of the losses, but confirmed that shops were destroyed. Daily Post also reported the fire at about 300 shops and said traders in several lines of business were affected.

The incident came two days after another fire damaged nine locked-up shops at the Nigerian Railway shopping complex near Aleshinloye Market in Ibadan South-West Local Government Area.

Sources: Daily Post, Punch