BREAKING News: Fire Razes 150 Spare Parts Shops In Apapa

Tragedy struck on Sunday at the Trinity Spare Parts Market in the Olodi Apapa area of Ajegunle, Lagos, as no fewer than 150 shops, including their materials, were consumed by an inferno.

 
The fire was caused by an electrical power surge in one of the shops at a section of the plaza some minutes after 3pm.

The infreno started from a shop on the ‘B’ line of the market few minutes after the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, restored power to the shopping complex.

The Speed Well Plaza is estimated to accommodate no fewer than 200 shops, mostly spare parts traders.

A resident of the area, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “This whole incident started when PHCN restored power here around 1.00p.m.

“Not long after that, I saw a thick smoke coming from one of the shops on B line,though I didn’t know the fire was going to be this big and spread to other parts of the plaza.”

Some of the affected traders expressed shock at the mid-Sunday fire.

They lamented the extent of the destruction, adding that for them to get back to business, the government would need to assist them.

A distressed trader, Mr. Izuchukwu Agwu, said, “I am finished. As you are seeing me here, I have lost everything I have to this fire incident.

“Unless something is done, I am heading back to the village and you know what it means – suicide. I sleep in my shop and I have no other business here.”

He added, “I was lucky not to have been in there when the fire started. Who knows, I might have been burnt. Now, what else do I have? I am heading back to the village tonight.”

Policemen from Trinity Police Station with other security personnel provided security at the plaza as fire fighters from the Lagos State Fire Service and those believed to be from Julius Berger Plc battled to put out the ragging inforeno.

The Director of the Lagos State Fire Service, Mr. Rasak Fadipe, explained that the fire was aggravated by the inflammable materials stored in most of the shops in the spare parts market.

Naij

Traders at Speedwell Plaza, otherwise known as Trinity Spare Parts Market, in Olodi Apapa, Lagos, said their loss in Sunday inferno was unbearable and could not be solely carried by them without help.

It was learnt that the fire razed no fewer than  150 shops. They, therefore, urged the Lagos State Government to come to their aid.

One of the traders, Chibuike Ikeogwonu, told PUNCH Metro that he lost goods worth N7.5m.

He said, “I had three shops there where I sold phones and accessories. My goods were worth about N7.5m and they have all been destroyed. I have no other means of livelihood. I have been in hospital since the shock and I am calling on the government for help.”

Another trader, Okeke Theophilous, who deals in motor spare parts, said he lost three of his shops.
He said, “I was in a church at Kirikiri when a friend called me that our plaza was on fire. Before I could get here, all the shops had been razed.

The report we got was that the fire was caused by electrical fault. We trust God and also the state government to come up with some kind of help because we lost everything we had to the fire.”
Another trader, Cyril Obiadigwu, said he had been rendered poor by the fire.

He said, “I rushed down here with the hope that I could save some of my goods, but the fire was so intense that even with the efforts of the fire service men, sympathisers and other traders, it could not be put out until most of our shops were totally destroyed.

“I lost three shops in the incident. Right now, we are helpless, because we lost all our properties to the fire. I did not get a pin out of this place.

Some traders accused sympathisers of stealing some of their salvaged goods.
Investigations by PUNCH Metro revealed that most of the victims were not insured against fire.

Punch