By Esther Onyegbula

A plank market at Iyana Ishashi along the Badagry Expressway, Lagos State, was gutted by fire in the early hours of yesterday, destroying over N5 million cash, said to have been left in shops, and goods.

Though the cause of the fire is unknown, some of the affected traders suspected that it could have been caused by power upsurge, while others alleged that it was caused by a lit cooking stove which one of the food vendors apparently forgot to put out.

When Vanguard visited the scene at 9a.m., traders were wailing and lamenting their loss, alleging that rescue operations started late.

A trader, Mrs Ladi Adebanjo, said she lost two shops stocked with wood polish.

Another trader, Sikiru Kamori, said: “I lost three shops to the fire. One of them belonged to my mother.

“Apart from the goods that were consumed by fire, we also lost a huge sum of money. Many traders had cash stored in their shops because they do not use banks and would not take money home to avoid robbers.”

The South-West zonal Public Relations Officer, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Ibrahim Farinloye, who confirmed the incident, said that the fire was successfully put out after the sawdust was dampened with water, adding that no life was lost.