Fire has gutted the Oko-Baba plank market in the Ebute-Meta area of Lagos State and destroyed shanties and shops.
The incident, which occurred around 1pm on Monday threw traders and residents into panic.
The Deputy Head of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Olajide Ogbabi, who confirmed the incident in a statement said the agency received an emergency call at 1.45pm about the fire, which engulfed makeshift commercial shops and shanties.
Ogbabi said, “On arrival at the scene, it was discovered that make-shift commercial shops of various sizes and patterns used in trading and stocking of woods were on fire as the crews deployed copious water and chemical foam compound to douse the raging fire.”
The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, stated that hoodlums and miscreants made attempts to hamper efforts to put out the fire.
He said, “The agency made requests for security cover as hoodlums and miscreants were hampering the efforts of joint responders.”
The Coordinator, Lagos Territorial Office, National Emergency Management Agency, Ibrahim Farinloye, told PUNCH that nobody died in the incident.
He said, “The Oko-Baba Sawmill fire was handled by the federal and state fire services. This was as a result of efforts to burn the sawdust from the plank market by the traders. Some makeshift shanties were torched, but no life was threatened.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, said he did not have the report yet.