A fire outbreak on Wednesday morning razed parts of the popular Owode Market in Offa, Kwara State, destroying no fewer than ten stalls in the livestock section of the popular market.
The inferno was said to have started around 1am, throwing traders and nearby residents into panic as efforts were made to prevent the fire from spreading to other sections of the market.
An eyewitness told Arewa PUNCH that traders still in sleepy mood abandoned their beds and rushed to the scene after noticing the flames.
“The fire started very early in the morning. People woke others up and tried to control it before it would spread further,” the source said.
Although no casualty was recorded, traders affected by the incident were said to have suffered huge losses, with goods and property worth millions of naira destroyed.
The Federal Fire Service confirmed the development to our correspondent via a telephone interview on Thursday, saying two separate fire outbreaks occurred in the town, with one of the incidents resulting in the destruction of shops at Owode market.
According to the Agency’s Area Commander in Offa, SF. Ali Sikiru, the fire incidents happened at different locations in the town in the early hours of the day, prompting swift responses from personnel of the service to contain the infernos and prevent further damage.
“On the said day, we responded to two fire incidents within the town, with one occurring at Olohunkushe around 10:00.
“Another distress call received around 1:50am from vigilantes on duty at Owode market, which we responded to immediately,” he added.
“Around 3:00am, our team was already at the scene attending to the fire because it was so much, and we could not immediately ascertain the number of shops affected due to the complex layout of the market.
“The fire started from the livestock section of the market and spread across other areas, and from our investigation and accounts of people nearby, it was discovered that an electrical surge triggered the fire,” Alli Sikiru further narrated.
The Area Commander reiterated that the Federal Fire Service remains committed to protecting lives and property, noting that the agency has intensified public sensitisation, early-response strategies, and community engagement to curb fire outbreaks across the area.
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