A raging midnight fire has devastated Ladipo Market in Mushin and Owode Onirin Market along Ikorodu Road in Lagos State, leaving traders counting heavy losses as goods worth millions of naira were reduced to ashes.
The inferno, which broke out during the early hours of Tuesday, spread rapidly through shops and warehouses, destroying vehicle spare parts, mechanical tools, motorcycles, and electrical appliances.
Eyewitnesses reported that the fire at Ladipo Market ignited around 1 a.m., spreading swiftly across tightly packed shops filled with flammable materials. Despite the intensity of the blaze, no casualties were recorded.
The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that emergency teams responded promptly, working tirelessly to put out the fire by 6 a.m.
According to Margaret Adeseye, the Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, firefighters from the Isolo, Bolade, and Alausa Fire Stations were dispatched immediately after receiving distress calls.
“Our teams faced difficulties accessing some areas due to the market’s layout, but we successfully contained the fire and prevented it from spreading to nearby properties,” Adeseye stated.
In a separate incident, another fire erupted at Owode Onirin Market along Ikorodu Road, damaging several shops selling metallic materials. This second blaze started shortly after midnight and was brought under control by 5 a.m.
Firefighters from the Alausa and Ikorodu Fire Stations swiftly responded, containing the fire before it could spread to surrounding businesses.
Despite the scale of the destruction, no lives were lost in either incident, thanks to the coordinated response from emergency services.
Authorities have launched investigations to determine the exact causes of both fires. Adeseye assured the public that findings would be released once the firefighting operations progressed to the damping-down phase—a process to prevent re-ignition of smoldering embers.
“Thankfully, no casualties were recorded in either incident. The causes of the fires will be determined after thorough investigations,” Adeseye added.
For many traders at Ladipo Market—renowned as one of West Africa’s largest auto spare parts hubs—the destruction is devastating. Business owners who arrived at the scene early on Tuesday morning watched helplessly as the flames consumed their livelihoods.
One affected trader, Mr. Chidi Nwosu, lamented the scale of his loss.
“I lost everything—spare parts I stocked for months. I don’t know how I will recover,” he said, visibly distraught.
At Owode Onirin Market, a shop owner identified as Mrs. Kemi Adekunle shared a similar fate, explaining that the fire destroyed her store’s entire inventory of iron rods and metallic sheets.
“We were called around 2 a.m., but by the time we got here, the damage had already been done. Nothing was spared,” she said.
In response to the incident, the Lagos State Government has assured victims that a full investigation will be conducted to uncover the causes and prevent future occurrences.
The authorities also urged traders to adopt fire safety measures, particularly during the dry season when fire outbreaks are more common.
Emergency services have since concluded active firefighting and transitioned to the damping-down stage, with officers remaining on-site to monitor for potential flare-ups.