Property and other valuables worth millions of Naira were yesterday razed at the popular Bodija foodstuff market in Ibadan North Local Government Area.
It was gathered that the shops 15 in a row of 44 were burnt while the remaining ones were partially torched.
The inferno which has thrown the community into mourning started from one of the affected shops.
In a statement the Special Adviser on Fire Services Reform/Chairman Fire Services Agency Dr. Moroof Akinwande expressed shock over the inferno.
He attributed the incident to electrical wiring fault from one of the affected shops.
He however added that the timely arrival of the fire-fighting crew mimimised the losses.
He said: ”The firefighting crew led by Assistant Chief Fire Superintendent (ACFS) Bamidele promptly mobilised and responded to the scene.”
‘The fire was curtailed without serious damage to the affected shops. The suspected cause of the fire incident was the upsurge from faulty electrical wiring.’
To prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the market Akinwande emphasised the importance of installing and maintaining functional fire fighting extinguishers in every commercial building shops and household to curb fire incidents at incipient stage.