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The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service has confirmed that the fire that gutted a section of the Alaba International Market on Tuesday evening was caused by a power surge.
According to the agency, no lives were lost and no injuries were reported in the incident.
In a statement issued by the Senior Public Affairs Officer, Maria Fadairo, the service said it received a distress call at 7:18 p.m. about a blaze at 155 Olojo Drive, opposite Tantalizers, in the Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State.
Firefighters from the Ojo and Ijegun-Egba fire stations were immediately deployed to the scene. The affected structure, a two-storey building housing several lock-up shops on a 648-square-metre plot within a five-hectare market complex, was already engulfed by flames when emergency teams arrived.
“Preliminary investigations indicate that the fire started on the top floor shortly after electricity was restored, due to negligence by some shop owners,” the statement read.
The agency noted that restricted access to the building—because most shops had closed for the day—hampered firefighting efforts and allowed the fire to spread before it was eventually contained to the upper floor.
Shops dealing in furniture and alternative power equipment, as well as a law office, were among those affected.
Firefighting operations were completed by 10:10 p.m. through a coordinated response involving the Federal Fire Service, Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), and the Ojo Police Division.
The Controller General, Mrs. Margaret Abimbola Adeseye, commended the swift inter-agency collaboration and urged traders and residents to adopt stricter fire safety practices, especially in major markets and commercial hubs.
The Alaba International Market, located along the Lagos–Badagry Expressway, is one of West Africa’s largest trading centres, known for electronics, household items, and building materials.
The incident comes barely a month after a separate fire outbreak at Afriland Towers on Broad Street, Lagos Island, which claimed at least ten lives.
