Fire razes Ajah market in Lagos

Property worth millions of naira were destroyed when a fire engulfed the Ajah market, by Alesh bus stop, in the Lekki area of Lagos.

The incident occurred on Sunday evening.

In a statement, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, permanent secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), said operatives of the agency arrived at the scene of the incident at about 10:10pm on Sunday.

Oke-Osanyintolu added that preliminary investigation showed that no casualties or injuries were recorded.

“On arrival of the Shark Response Team at the incident scene by 2210 hrs, it was discovered that several shops and stores housing combustible materials were engulfed by fire at the aforementioned location,” he said.

“Investigations conducted by LRT revealed that the immediate cause of the fire could not yet be ascertained as at the time of writing this report.

“Fortunately, no casualties were recorded at the incident scene. No injuries were sustained as at the time of writing this report.

“Properties worth a fortune were destroyed in the inferno. The LASEMA Response Team, alongside Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, were able to curtail the fire from escalating to adjoining buildings.

“The LRT and Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, whilst fighting the fire, are simultaneously trying to manage the hostile crowd as the two are the only primary responders at the incident scene.”

The fire has been brought under control at the time of reporting.