No fewer than 15 shops were razed by fire at the popular Bodija foodstuffs market in Ibadan North Local Government Area of Oyo State on Monday, destroying goods and other valuables worth millions of naira.

Investigation by our correspondent revealed that the fire started in one shop before spreading to others in the market.

Confirming the incident in a statement in Ibadan, the Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Fire Services Reform and Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Services Agency, Moroof Akinwande, expressed shock over the damage caused by the inferno.

Akinwande attributed the incident to a suspected electrical fault in one of the affected shops, adding that the timely arrival of firefighters helped to prevent the fire from spreading further.

The statement read, “The firefighting crew, led by Assistant Chief Fire Superintendent Bamidele, promptly mobilised and responded to the scene. On arrival, the crew discovered that 15 out of a row of 44 shops had been engulfed by flames, with thick smoke billowing from the affected premises.

“The firefighters immediately commenced firefighting operations and successfully brought the fire under control, preventing it from spreading beyond where the fire was met.”

The statement added that the firefighters contained the blaze, limiting further damage to the affected shops.

It said the suspected cause of the fire was an electrical surge resulting from faulty wiring.

To prevent a recurrence, Akinwande stressed the importance of installing and maintaining functional fire extinguishers in commercial buildings, shops and homes.

He urged traders and residents to adopt appropriate fire safety measures to enable them to contain outbreaks at their early stages.

—By Ademola Adegbite