A fire outbreak was reported on Tuesday at Arena Market in Oshodi, Lagos, sending traders and residents into panic as flames tore through parts of the busy commercial hub.
Videos circulating on social media show thick smoke and raging flames engulfing market structures, while traders and bystanders attempt to salvage goods amid the chaos. The footage suggests the fire spread rapidly, with several stalls and properties at risk.
Meanwhile, The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service said in a statement by the Service’s Director, Margaret Adeseye, that ‘The agency received a distress call at about 5:50 p.m. reporting a fire outbreak at Arena Market, Bolade, Oshodi. Firefighting units were immediately deployed and arrived at the scene within five minutes, at approximately 5:55 p.m.
She explained that the fire affected a section of the market comprising five 40-foot container shops arranged in two rows, bringing the total number of shops impacted to 10.
‘The affected area is mainly used for the storage and sale of clothing materials, stocked in bales. The fire was successfully confined to the affected section and has been fully curtailed. The situation is firmly under control, with no risk of the fire spreading to other parts of the market’, the statement read.
Adeseye assured members of the public that all necessary measures had been taken to safeguard lives and property, adding that an investigation would be conducted to determine the cause of the fire. She said updates would be provided as more information becomes available.
Arena Market is one of Lagos’ busiest trading centres, and fires in the area often raise concerns about infrastructure gaps, emergency response readiness and the vulnerability of informal markets to recurring disasters.
The incident marks the second major fire outbreak in Lagos within a week.
Last week, a massive fire razed the 22-storey Great Nigeria Insurance House on Martins Street, Lagos Island.
