Not less than 6,700 traders have lost their goods to a fire that gutted the popular Mandilas building on Broad Street, Lagos Island Local Government Area of Lagos State on Sunday, authorities have said.
The fire which affected a 14-storey building in the market, destroyed 450 shops, 30 offices, two hotels, and five restaurants.
The Lagos State Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency, Ibrahim Farinloye, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service had disclosed on Monday that careless welding during the installation of a power generator on the second floor of the Mandilas building in Lagos led to the fire incident.
The fire was said to have started from the first floor of the building and spread to the seventh floor.
“The impacted traders are estimated to accommodate about 6,700 traders, 450 shops, 30 offices, two hotels, and five restaurants, according to the Iya Oja of the Atunwase International Market Mandilas General, Alhaja Adeniji Rashidat, who briefed the assessors," Farinloye said.
“The fire which started at about 0011 hours began at the first floor where an alleged wielding activity was going on.
“It was alleged that the people around did not notice the fire until it was too late before the fire service was contacted. The fire, also, spread to surrounding market stalls at the Atunwase International Market with equal extensive damage as the main complex.”
Meanwhile, emergency responders including men of the Lagos Fire Service, Police, Lagos State Building Control Agency, and Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps were at the scene of the incident controlling the situation and movement around the building.
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