Fire outbreak has ravaged a section of a market in Ore, Odigbo Local Government area of Ondo State, destroying goods and property worth millions of naira.
The fire, which reportedly started at about 10.00 p.m on Wednesday, threw traders and residents into panic as the flames rapidly spread through shops and business premises in the market.
According to The Hope, no fewer than 14 shops were razed by the inferno, with various goods and valuables destroyed in the process.
One of the victims, Mrs Akinlusi Grace, who deals in bags of rice and other foodstuffs, was said to have lost a significant portion of her goods to the inferno.
Another victim, Onyekachi Ezeaka, who sells stationery and provisions, also reportedly lost goods worth a substantial amount of money to the fire.
Eyewitnesses attributed the cause of the inferno to a solar battery reportedly placed in one of the shops.
According to them, a little spark was noticed before the fire suddenly spread to combustible materials within the shop.
The flames subsequently spread to adjoining shops, consuming clothes, bags of rice, stationery, provisions and other items stored by traders.
The Iyaloja of Ore market, Mrs E. A. Ogunlana, expressed sadness over the incident, describing the destruction as a major setback for the affected traders.
Ogunlana appealed to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to come to the aid of the victims through financial assistance.
She commended the fire service personnel for their prompt intervention, which she said helped to prevent the fire from spreading further and causing more destruction.
Earlier, the Special Assistant to the Ondo State Governor on Emergency Response, Prince Oriade Wellington Adebawo, visited the scene of the fire outbreak to assess the extent of the damage and sympathise with the affected traders.
During the visit, Adebawo inspected the affected shops and interacted with some of the victims, who narrated how they lost their goods and means of livelihood to the inferno.
He expressed concern over the incident and assured the victims that the state government would be informed about the extent of the losses, while urging traders to observe necessary safety measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The Chairman of Odigbo Local Government, Mr Taiwo Adegoroye, expressed concern over the incident and sympathised with the affected traders.
He described the fire outbreak as unfortunate, assuring the victims that the local government would assess the situation and explore possible ways of supporting those affected.
Adegoroye also urged traders to exercise caution in the handling of electrical appliances, solar batteries and other equipment capable of causing fire outbreaks.
He stressed the importance of adhering to safety measures in markets, while calling for increased vigilance to prevent a recurrence of the incident
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