Barely three days before Christmas, a devastating fire swept through the biggest Araromi auto spare parts market in Agodi-Gate, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, yesterday, leaving a trail of destruction and losses......Read The Full Article>>.....Read The Full Article>>
The inferno which started around 2 am, yesterday, swept through the bustling marketplace, destroying property, materials, and vital stocks at numerous shops. It reportedly lasted for four to five hours.
The fire incident affected many parts of the market, including the Tyre Section. At the section, a three-storey building said to have been loaded with tyres was completely razed. The impact of the fire from the burnt tyres reportedly made the building to collapse.
Eyewitnesses recounted the horrifying scene that unfolded in the early hours, as thick smoke billowed from the market, prompting alarm among residents of the surrounding neighborhoods: Odejayi, Onipasan, Okeadu, and Oluyoro. Despite their valiant efforts to extinguish the flames, community members found themselves helpless against the aggressive blaze.
As gathered, the chaos did not stop at the fire; opportunistic hoodlums seized the moment to loot several shops and carted away goods worth millions of naira.
One of affected shop owners, who only identified himself as Karimu, who was clearly devastated by the calamity, lamented his staggering loss of over N25 million.
His words: “I stayed around Amuloko in Ona Ara Local Government Area. I received a distress call from one of my friends that ‘Iso Paati’ was on fire around 2:45 am. I hurriedly left my house with the assistance of one of the landlords in my area, who owns a motorcycle.
“When I arrived at the market, the fire was burning seriously. Nobody could enter the shop again.
“What actually pained me most is that I just took delivery of auto spare parts at the port at Tin Can Island in Lagos. The goods were carefully arranged in the stall. I am even confused and I don’t know what happened. How we I pay back my loans?
“I have lost everything to the incident. My appeal is for the government to come to our aid.”
A trader in the auto spare parts market, Mr. Toye Akande, also recounted: “This is the third time that fire would burn my wares in this market. But this latest one is a great blow to me. Many of us (spare parts dealers) survive on loans. How do I move forward and repay my loans? Honestly, I don’t understand.
“Both old and new stock in my shop was about N20million. I stocked my shop with my personal money and loans. Whether I like it or not, there is no excuse; I must repay the loan. How can this fire incident happen now about four days to Christmas?”
Meanwhile, the General Manager of Oyo State Fire Services, Akinyemi Akinyinka, said the agency deployed firefighting trucks to the scene immediately the establishment received a distress call on the inferno. But he stated his concern over the situation, particularly about the thieves that interrupted firefighting efforts.
“Our men were met with harassment as hoodlums invaded shops at the Araromi Agodi-Gate,” he stated as he detailed the challenges faced in battling the ever-intense flames.
But the exact cause of the fire remained unclear as investigations were still ongoing as at the time of filing this report.
The inferno followed another tragic fire incident just a day earlier, which claimed the lives of a man, wife, and their grandson in the Ori-Eru, Idikan area of Ibadan.
Meanwhile, the Oyo State Fire Services reported a potentially catastrophic explosion was averted on Friday when their swift response contained a gas truck fire along the Ibadan-Lagos Expressway.
As of the time of this report, firefighters were still working tirelessly to bring the blaze under control. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, with investigations ongoing.
