Dozens of traders at Lagos’ Alaba International Market suffer heavy losses as a late-night fire tears through shops despite frantic rescue efforts.
A massive fire swept through sections of the Alaba International Market in Lagos on evening of Tuesday October 21, 2025, leaving scores of traders in despair as shops and warehouses were reduced to ashes.
The blaze, which erupted around dusk, quickly spread through several blocks of the sprawling electronics market — one of West Africa’s largest — before firefighters managed to bring it under control. Thick smoke rose above Ojo, the Lagos suburb where the market is located, as crowds gathered in panic.
Witnesses described scenes of chaos as traders rushed to salvage their goods from locked stalls. Some broke down in tears, watching helplessly as their life savings went up in flames. Others frantically tried to force open shutters or douse the spreading fire with buckets of water.
Officials from the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service arrived at the scene shortly after the alarm was raised and battled through the night to contain the inferno. A spokesperson for the service said no casualties had been confirmed as of early Wednesday morning, but the extent of property loss was “substantial.”
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Several traders accused market security guards of reacting too slowly when the fire began. “We kept shouting for help, but the response was delayed,” said one shop owner who lost thousands of dollars’ worth of electronics. “By the time firefighters came, everything was already gone.”
Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the blaze, though electrical faults and fuel storage issues are frequent hazards in Lagos’ dense commercial centers. Officials have launched an investigation to assess the origin and full scale of the damage.
The Alaba International Market, known across West Africa for its trade in electronics, home appliances, and building materials, draws thousands of customers daily. Fires are not uncommon in such markets, where narrow alleys, limited access routes, and aging infrastructure often hinder emergency response.
State authorities have urged affected traders to cooperate with safety officials as recovery and damage assessment continue. As dawn broke on Wednesday, blackened stalls and smoldering debris stood as grim reminders of another devastating blaze in one of Nigeria’s busiest commercial hubs.
