Eyewitness Tells What Happened Before Goods Burnt at Balogun market: "The Fire Started Around 4"
- A young lady has shared everything she saw while she was at Balogun Market before the market went up in flames
- She mentioned the time the fire started and the things she saw the fire service personnel doing when the fire began
- The lady also mentioned something a friend told her when the fire had already started burning heavily and destroying goods
A trader who sells at Balogun Market in Lagos Island, Lagos State, has shared how the fire that raged through Balogun Market started.
She made the statement after surviving the incident and shared how she managed to protect herself and her goods from getting burnt.
Source: TikTok
Woman describes fire at Balogun Market
The lady explained that something worse could have happened to her and her goods had she not listened to and followed her mother.
Speaking in the video, @_iyiolaa shared that the incident didn’t appear serious at the beginning, as she noticed a little smoke around 4 pm in the afternoon.
While she and several others didn’t pay much attention to it, thinking it wasn’t serious, the incident eventually led to the loss of millions of naira worth of goods.
She shared:
"This is what happened, this is how the fire started. The fire started around 4 o’clock. I was still at my shop because it was nothing serious. It was just smoke; nobody knew it was really serious. Even people in that building didn’t move their goods because it didn’t seem serious, and all those fire-fighting devices were already around."
In the TikTok clip, she added that before the fire escalated, fire service personnel were already present but didn’t appear to be doing anything, as there was no visible fire yet.
She spoke further:
"They were not even doing anything, they were just so relaxed. I left around 7 o’clock, got home around 8 to 9 o’clock, and I was already in my house when one of my friends from my shop started sending me videos showing the fire had become serious and that I should come quickly."
Source: TikTok
Speaking about how she was able to protect herself and her goods, she shared:
"My mum was even shouting, ‘Let’s go!’ Thank God I followed her, otherwise, what would we be saying now? What would I be saying now?"
"Everything got burnt; I can’t even post the videos on my TikTok right now."
Reactions as lady speaks about market fire
ifeoma_200 noted:
"That place is cursed!!!!!"
NAOMI EMPIRE (SKINCARE & HAIR) said:
"Una see smoke una say it’s not that serious. Like seriously??"
JHAY.O CONFECTIONARIES said:
"Balogun market again??. has this now become a yearly ritual? chai."
MamaD noted:
"I am suspecting something ooo, at every 3 to 6 months, fire happens in Balogun market...it is well ooo."
ABIMBOLA stated:
"Why should you not take fire serious,madam stop saying that,no fire is small.."
IFEANYI added:
"That philmore lady i don buy something from her for my sister 😢😢 i hope she was able to recover somethings."
DOMINIC EMPIRE stressed:
"So as big as that plaza, each shops don’t have fire extinguishers 🧯 are you guys kidding me ? As it started 40 people use their stuff off am it won’t has escalate that way."
nah lie madam wrote:
"I was there by 6=30 the fire was very very must I live there by 9pm when the fire get too must."
Queen noted:
"You just said my mind o, something that was burning in the evening which was obviously not much how did it turn that much."
Viclabtee textiles shared:
"That fire wasn’t serious at the beginning it’s because they didn’t do the right thing to quench it immediately it started."
Just_ladeyy said:
"Smoke leads to fire. At the very least, they should have looked for the source of the smoke and put it out. Their nonchalant attitude caused most of the loss. So sad."
The fire incident at Balogun Market left a deep and painful mark on the hearts of many, a tragedy that may be impossible to forget, as several people lost their lives and valuables.
An eyewitness, who is also a trader in the market, spoke with Legit.ng and shared sensitive details about the incident.
She stated that the fire could have been avoided and that the loss of lives should not have happened.
In an exclusive chat, she gave a brief introduction of herself:
“My name is Manliki Iyiola. I studied Business Administration at McPherson University. I came to the market through my mother, who has been selling there for more than 25 years, so I practically grew up there. Currently, I manage my mum’s shop.”
Speaking on how the fire escalated, she explained that it was initially small and could have been controlled, as emergency services were contacted early.
Iyiola said:
“Yes, they immediately called the fire service, and they arrived in no time. At that point, the fire was still small, something that could have been quenched quickly.”
When asked if she could estimate the value of goods lost in the fire, she said she could not, while also confirming that several people lost their lives and that some victims were still missing.
In her words:
“I can’t imagine the value of what was lost, a whole lot. So many people are dead, and many are yet to be found.”
Iyiola gave a final remark on what could have been done to prevent the incident. She alleged negligence on the part of the building owner and claimed that firefighters demanded a sum of money before taking action.
She concluded:
“They could have quenched the fire from the very beginning, but due to the negligence of the building owner and the firefighters requesting a sum of N30 million in cash before they started working, the situation got worse.”
Watch the video below:
In a similar story, Legit.ng recently reported that a major fire broke out at the 22-storey Great Nigeria Insurance House on Martins Street, Lagos Island. The building, which serves as a warehouse for clothing materials and also has offices and shops.
Fire hits Lagos shop, lady speaks out
Meanwhile, Legit.ng recently reported that a Nigerian lady told her customers something important after her shop was damaged in a fire at the Great Nigeria Tower in Lagos Island.
She shared a video of the fire, and many people reacted to what she said. The video and her message made people talk about how hard it is for shop owners when accidents like this happen.
Source: Legit.ng
