Sketchy reports has it that the inferno, which started at 3:00pm started a as a result of the stockpile of planks and heaps of sawdust in the market, The Punch reports.
According to Vanguard, planks estimated at over N250m was lost in the fire.
One of the traders, who identified himself as Adegoke, said: “I left my shop around 2:30 pm after attending to the customer who urgently needed some goods. He said he urgently needed to buy some planks, so I went to the shop. After the transaction, I closed the shop and went back home. I was surprised when I received a call 30 minutes later that the market was on fire. I am a medium-sized trader, I lost goods worth N3.5m.”
According to The Nation, it was a black Christmas for about 200 plank retailers in Sango Plank Market, Ibadan, Oyo State capital on Friday. More than 200 shops were burnt to ashes at the market located in Alaro area of Sango. The fire was said to have started at about 3:00 pm and it was still burning as at 7.30pm with the men of the Oyo State Fire Service struggling to put it out.
The loss in the fire is estimated at N250 million.
The cause of the fire was unknown as at press time.
It was gathered that the fire was fuelled by the large stock of planks in each of the shops and heaps of saw dust scattered around the market, coupled with the effect of the dry season.
Only one fire service tanker was at the scene of the incident. As a form of self help, traders ordered tankers of water add to the water needed by fire fighters.
The traders wailed as they saw their wares in flames with efforts too little to quench the raging fire.
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