On Monday, a fire broke out early in the morning at the well-known Bola Ige International Market in new Gbagi Ibadan, destroying stores and items worth millions of naira.
Six businesses packed with various sorts of fabrics worth millions of naira were destroyed by the fire, but no one was hurt.
Alhaji Ganiyu Adebayo, the chairman of Bola Ige International Market, reported that the catastrophe occurred at around 7:00 am. He continued by saying that fire bridges quickly doused the inferno after they were quickly dispatched from the fire service station at the new Gbagi Market.
According to him: “I was at home when they called me that there was a fire outbreak at Rashlad and Kudus lines part of the market. I was informed that a woman lighted a candle in her shop early this morning and did not put it off and closed the shop. The firefighters did very well, they prevented the inferno from spreading to other parts of the market.”
Alhaji Rasheed Oladepo, a member of the market’s Council of Elders, added: “According to the testimonies we received from individuals who witnessed it, electrical appliances were not the source of the fire breakout. They informed us that the business that started the fire had been open since 7:00 am and that the proprietor had lit a candle for his prayers and left it there as the fire spread.
He recommended market vendors stop cooking food in their stores in order to avoid fire disasters and to be cautious and aware while seeking spiritual guidance so as not to impact others.
In the meantime, Olasunkanmi Olaleye, the commissioner in charge of the ministry, visited the scene of the tragedy and expressed his condolences to the injured traders through Dr. Bunmi Babalola, the ministry’s permanent secretary.
But he cautioned business owners to always take precautions to stop fires from starting. On Tuesday, August 9, he also invited the market’s executive council to a meeting with the management of the ministry.
