A fire that broke out on Thursday at a furniture market in the Ojota area of Lagos State has caused extensive damage, destroying goods valued at millions of naira.

The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

According to Oke-Osanyintolu, the fire started at about 1 pm on Thursday and was caused by an electrical surge from a transformer situated close to the market.

He added that upon the arrival of firefighters, several shops in the market were engulfed in the inferno leading to the destruction of furniture items worth millions of naira.

The Permanent Secretary narrated, “Upon the arrival of the Tiger Response Team at the incident scene by 1404hrs, it was discovered that several shops used for the production and sale of furniture items were engulfed by fire.

“Investigations conducted by the LRT revealed that the immediate cause of the inferno was an electricity power surge from the power transformer stationed beside the shops.”

“Fortunately, no casualties were recorded at the incident scene and no injuries were sustained due to the incident. However, properties worth a fortune were destroyed by the inferno.”

He stressed that emergency responders including the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service and the Lagos State Ambulance Service were able to curtail the spread of the fire.

“LASEMA in collaboration with other stakeholders through concerted efforts successfully curtailed the fire from spreading across multiple areas to cause more damage.

“The agency managed crowd hostilities at the incident scene alongside its primary responsibilities.”

PUNCH Metro reported on Monday that a market around the Ajah area of the state was engulfed by fire, destroying shops and goods worth millions of naira.

Oke-Osanyintolu said the fire incident happened late Sunday night at Ajah Market by Alesh bus stop in Lekki, Lagos.

He said properties worth a fortune were destroyed in the inferno, adding that the agency and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service were able to curtail the fire from escalating to adjoining buildings.