(Lagos)
The Director-General, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, has assured the operators of the Ifelodun Ketu Demurin Plank Market of government support to enable them to operate in a conducive environment.
Oke-Osanyintolu gave the assurance on Tuesday during his agency’s post-disaster assessment of the market where 30 shops were gutted by fire on Sunday.
No life was, however, lost in the blaze owing to the quick appearance of LASEMA’s first responders.
“From our preliminary investigation we discovered that the fire was caused by power upsurge and other associated factors.
“During the dry season planks are highly flammable, so also the chemicals used in processing the planks and so traders should be conscious of this,’’ he said.
The LASEMA boss told the traders that most of them would be moved into the newly constructed shops in the market.
“Government will also equip the market with safety equipment such as fire hydrants to protect lives and properties,“ Oke-Osanyintolu said.
He urged them to be more conscious of the materials they use especially during the dry season to avoid fire outbreak.
The Chairman of the plank sellers, Alhaji Aliu Bello, said he did not know the cause of the fire.
He pleaded with the state government to allocate the newly built shops to stem fire outbreak.
