Traders Count Loses After Balogun Market Fire Disaster

Few hours after the combined emergency team put out the blazing fire
at Balogun Market, Lagos State, which razed 10 buildings, 100 shops
and makeshift structures within the axis, traders have continued to
count their losses.

The fire, which started in the early hours of Monday, was finally put
out yesterday.

Some property affected were OK Plaza on 44, Balogun Street; Rich
Plaza, also on the same Balogun Street; Global Plaza, on 42, Balogun
Street, Onikoyi and the building on 38, Balogun Street.

'I couldn't save my goods' Mrs. Vera Ezenwa, one of the traders, who
lost everything in her shop, said: "I could not salvage my goods from
the inferno. I deal in shoes and bags. I own shop 35 in Rich Plaza."

Pointing to her shop, she said: "That is where I displayed my goods
last week. They are all gone.

"I received a call at 5a.m., this morning (yesterday) that my shop and
my warehouse had been gutted by fire. And I quickly rush down here to
salvage some of the goods, but when I arrived, I could not salvage
any.

"These were the goods my husband, who went to China last year, sent to
me two weeks ago. I cannot believe that all the goods he sent last
week are all gone. I wish I was able to save some of the goods."

Where are my goods, others ask For 60-year-old Mrs. Rafat Adeyemo and
Mr. Chukwu Azubuike, bothtraders, the incident was like a Nollywood
movie. They could notbelieve that their goods were gutted by fire.

Adeyemo said: "Where is my goods and shop? That shop was my source of
income. I do not understand why fire would gut my shop at this time. I
need to see my goods. I wish I was informed on time to salvage
whatever I could. But I was unable to achieve that."

Narrating his ordeal, Azubuike said: "I was one of the traders
displaced by the Tejuosho inferno. My goods were razed.

"Just like how Tejuosho fire disaster razed my warehouse few years
ago, this inferno has again dealt another blow on me. I wish I could
rewind the hand of clock."

Traders blame council chairman

Traders at the popular market, yesterday, blamed the former Lagos
Island council chairman for the delay in putting out the fire.

Mr. Obinna Chukwu, a trader, who said he lost everything, said: "The
former council chairman erected Klee-Clamps on the setbacks available
within the market.

"And these structures affected the emergency teams from getting to the
source of the fire.

"I wish the governor would come and see how the council chairman
havedestroyed the market master plan."
--Vanguard