Millions of naira worth of goods, mostly electronics and electrical appliances, were destroyed early on Thursday when fire ravaged the popular Justrite Superstore in the Akowonjo area of Lagos State.
The fire, which reportedly occurred at about 8 a.m., caused panic along the Egbeda-Akowonjo Road.
The fire was first noticed on the second floor of the building, prompting workers and residents in the area to attempt to put it out.
However, the fire reportedly intensified before the arrival of firefighters, who were deployed to the scene.
Firefighters from the Agege and Abesan stations were quickly mobilised to the scene, where they prevented the fire from spreading to other parts of the building and adjoining structures.
The Controller-General of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, confirmed the incident but said the fire had been extinguished before it could spread to other parts of the supermarket and adjoining buildings.
Adeseye said, ‘The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service has extinguished a fire outbreak at Justrite Superstore, located at No. 116, Akowonjo Road, Jimoh Bus Stop, Egbeda-Akowonjo, Lagos.’
She added that ‘the incident involved the second floor of the commercial building, housing the electronics section of the store’.
According to her, ‘Upon arrival, firefighters swiftly deployed firefighting equipment and commenced coordinated operations to contain the fire, prevent its spread to adjoining sections of the building, and safeguard lives, property and the environment.’
She said the fire had been extinguished, adding that recovery operations were ongoing to bring the mop-up exercise to an end.
The cause of the fire was suspected to be an alternative power source, possibly a solar inverter system. No casualties were recorded.