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By Taofik Jimoh
17 shops were reportedly burnt in an early-morning market fire in Ile-Ife on Saturday, November 11, according to the Osun State Fire Service.
Millions of Naira’s worth of products were destroyed by the dawn fire that partially burned the Oja Tuntun market, which was said to as the largest market in the historic town of Ile-Ife.
Adekunle Ibrahim, the Osun State incident Service spokesperson, stated that the cause of the incident was unknown as of the time of publication.
Ibrahim disclosed that firemen received a distress call from a resident living near the market about 12:30 am on Saturday.
“When firemen arrived at the scene, the raging fire had affected a building that has 16 shops and a container within the market.
“A team from the fire unit of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, also joined the Osun firemen and prevented the fire from escalating.
The fire incident was also confirmed by Kehinde Adeleke, the Osun NSCDC’s public relations officer.
According to Adeleke, while firefighters fought to stop the fire from spreading to other areas of the market, command personnel were stationed at the scene to prevent looting.
Falilat Lawal, the head of market women at the Oja-Tuntun Market, bemoaned the frequent occurrence of fires.
She recalled that the state government had been urged by the market association years prior to reorganize the market and make it a significant hub for trade.
Lawal observed that the market’s stores were ill-spaced, which caused traffic jams and exposed them to collateral harm.
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