By Ifeanyi Okolie

Property worth millions of naira were, in the early hours of yesterday, destroyed in an inferno that gutted two residential buildings and some shops on Okoduwa and Dillion streets at the Kirikiri area of Lagos.

Vanguard gathered that the fire, which cause is yet unknown, started around 1:30a.m. from one of the shops on Okoduwa Street, before spreading to other parts of the market, destroying hundreds of trucks tyres, spare parts and other machinery.

A trader said: “The late arrival of the fire servicemen made the fire to last that long. It took Lagos State Fire Service men close to three hours to respond to our call.”

Another residents, who identified himself simply as Emmanuel Ojo, attributed the cause of the fire to an alleged rift between the traders and the new owner of the shops.

Ojo alleged that the owner of the land had asked the traders to vacate his property as he was ready to develop same, but that they refused.