A power surge was responsible for the heinous inferno that destroyed a section of the Alaba International Market, according to the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service.
No casualties or injuries were reported, though, according to the report.
The organization reported a fire outbreak at 155 Olojo Drive, opposite Tantalizers and Alaba International Market, in the state’s Ojo Local Government Area at 7:18 p.m.
The Ojo and Ijegun-Egba fire stations were immediately dispatched to the scene, according to the statement.
The incident involved several lock-up shops of various sizes, all located in a two-story building that occupied roughly 648 square meters and a five-hectare-long larger market space.
A statement dated October 22, 2025, signed by Maria Fadairo, the agency’s senior public affairs officer, partially read, reads, “Preliminary investigations revealed that the fire started on the building shortly after the electricity was restored, due to negligence on the part of some shop owners.
The affected areas were difficult to access because the majority of shops were closed for the day, requiring forced entry to repress the fire, which had been confined to the floor due to the delay.
Furniture Stores and Other Businesses Are impacted
The state’s fire and rescue service added that a law office was primarily present in the stores that were primarily engaged in the sale of furniture and alternative power equipment.
According to the report, staff from the Federal Fire Service, Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), and the Ojo Police Division worked together to bring the firefighting operations to a successful conclusion at 10:10.
Margaret Abimbola Adeseye, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service’s Controller General, praised the cooperative action of all parties involved, according to the statement.
Adeseye also stressed the importance of the public strictly adhering to fire safety measures, particularly in commercial areas, to avoid unnecessary fire incidents.
On Tuesday night, videos obtained by Channels Television showed several plazas in Ojo town completely engulfed in flames close to the Ojo Local Government Secretariat.
Officials from the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service were also seen working to contain the fire in video.
Along the Lagos–Badagry Expressway, a market is known for its sale of household goods, including furniture, building materials, and electronics.
One of West Africa’s largest commercial trade centers is also there.
One month prior to the incident at the six-story commercial complex Afriland Towers in Lagos Island, at least ten people were killed in the Alaba market fire.
