Fire Guts Goods Worth Millions At Oshodi Arena Market

A midnight fire gutted goods worth millions at the Arena market in the Oshodi area of Lagos State.

The blaze, which began around 9:00pm, tore through the market, destroying stalls stocked with electronics and other goods.

Shop owners and vendors were left counting their losses despite the prompt intervention of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, which deployed firefighters to the scene.

Eyewitnesses said the fire started suddenly and spread quickly, consuming several shops before it was brought under control.

One of the traders, Henry Nwankwo, who deals in washing machines and spare parts, lamented: “All my goods were affected—none of them survived. All of them were burned to ashes. I also do repairs for customers, and all my customers’ properties were also destroyed.

“I just got back from China two months ago because I import washing machine spare parts, and the new goods were also affected.”

Nwankwo added that other traders were also affected.

He said: “There are like four or five other shops that were affected by the fire, but the main damage was to my shop and my neighbor’s shop. My neighbor sells solar panels, and he also said most of his goods were lost in the fire.”

The cause of the fire remains unknown with eye witnesses suggesting possible electrical faults from the transformer near the shops or an unattended heat source.

Speaking on the intervention of the Fire service, another bystander said: “As at 10pm yesterday, the fire service were here to help quench the fire, they entered the shops and came with two trucks in different positions and quickly helped to quench the fire from different directions.”