A fire outbreak at a popular market in the Yaba area of Lagos State has thrown the area into confusion.
The incident, which apparently began at 3 a.m., destroyed shops in the market, with eyewitnesses claiming that various items were destroyed in the inferno.
Videos and images on social media showed dense smoke and flames devouring areas of the market, while vendors and locals tried to save their things.
An eyewitness in a TikTok livestream, identified as Lugar Feliz, said firefighters were already on the scene and that the incident occurred near the Popo section of the Yaba market.
Several social media users on X also raised an alarm over the incident.
A user, Clinically Firm, posted, “Breaking: Yaba Market on Fire since yesterday night. Details later.”
Another social media user, Obutexofficial, wrote, “Yaba on Fire: fire outbreak since 1 am.”
Reacting to the incident, Adeoluwa stated, “Woke up to the news that Yaba is burning; the shops just behind mine are completely burnt to the ground, billions gone like that.”
He also claimed there were challenges with the emergency response, writing, “Fire service headquarters is just a 10 min walk from there; they could only bring a truck.”
The cause of the inferno had yet to be ascertained at the time of filing this report while there was no official statement from the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service on the extent of damage or possible casualties.
