Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, says thirty shops and stalls were loss in last Sunday fire inferno that engulfed the popular plank market at Demurin in the Agboyi-Ketu Local Council Development Area of Kosofe Local Government Area of Lagos State.

According to LASEMA Director-General, Doctor Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, the fire outbreak started from a part of the market and destroyed many goods.
He said fire fighters and other emergency responders curtailed the raging inferno at the plank market.
According to him, the cause of the fire incident which reportedly started from one part of the market, is yet to be ascertained however it is evident that there is extensive damage with valuable goods having been destroyed by the fire.

Oke-Osanyintolu said fortunately, no lives, were lost in the inferno, and there was no injury in the incident.
He advised market owners to always observe safety standards, rules during periods of cold weather.
Oke-Osanyintolu, particularly said people should be careful when handling electrical appliances, petroleum products, cooking gas, saying most of the wears put for sale in the plank market are highly inflamable, as such items can cause fire outbreak.
In his words, the cause of the Ketu Plank Market fire disaster, could have been caused by electrical spark.
He said government of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is working with the market stakeholders to mitigate and or forstal future occurrence of the disaster which is now the third since twenty-thirteen.
According to him, the market stakeholders should move in to the shops and lockup shops being built for them.
However, he assured the traders that government will do everything within its powers to support them.
Speaking during a post-disaster visit, the LASEMA Boss said efforts would be made to relocate the traders to some newly constructed shops in the market.
During the dry season, planks are highly flammable, so also the chemicals used in processing the planks and so traders should be conscious of this,” Oke-Osanyintolu said during the visit.
According to him, government will also equip the market with safety equipment such as fire hydrants to protect lives and properties.”
He urged them to be more conscious of the materials they use especially during the dry season to avoid fire outbreak.
Chairman of the Ifelodun Plank Market Association, Aliyu Bello, called on the Lagos State Government to help in rebuilding the plank market, as they await investigators to tell them what caused the fire.
He pleaded with the state government to allocate the newly built shops to forestall fire outbreaks, saying they lost millions of naira in the fire disaster.
According to him, It was nightmare for them after the market was gutted by fire destroying property and goods worth millions of naira, but thankfully, no life was lost in the inferno.
He said traders lost over forty sawing machines, generating sets, several bundles of planks and foams were destroyed.
In his words, one of the traders who reportedly lost several bundles of foams worth millions of naira was said to be hospitalised.
He disclosed that the impact of the fire would have beeb reduced if it had happened on a working day.
The market leader commended the emergency responders, saying four firefighting trucks were mobilised to quench the fire which prevented the inferno from spreading to residential buildings.
He assured the state government that his members would take every necessary step to prevent a future occurrence at the market and adhere strictly to safety protocols.