About 20 shops, equipment and goods estimated at about N50 million were razed in another fire disaster at the plank section of Bodija market, on Wednesday. It was gathered that the fire, which began about 1.00 a.m. consumed expensive items used in the planking section including circular sawing machines, band sawing machines, mortise machines, spindles, generating sets, ready-made doors and planks, affecting about 20 shops were affected.
It, however, took the efforts of the Oyo State fire service to prevent the raging fire from spreading further.
Chairman, Bodija Plank section, Mr Tajudeen Gbolagade, regarded the source of the fire as unknown, noting that a similar incident happened about four years ago.
Gbolagade said, “At about 1. 00 a.m., on Wednesday, we were called by the night guards at the market that our shops were on fire. Then the market head was called upon, who later called the State Fire Service that came to quench the fire. 20 shops were totally burnt with equipment and goods worth millions of naira, lost.
He added, “We are yet to see any government official visit the scene but we look forward to their assistance to enable the affected persons pick up their lives again.”
One of the affected shop owners, Mr Amusa Olatunji recounted, “I was informed on phone at about 1.00 a.m. that my shop was a fire. No shop owner was around because there is a law in the market that everyone must leave by 7.00 p.m. Ready-made doors, planks, machines were lost.
One 2X12 plank is worth N3, 000; my shops has about 120 planks, they were all affected, including several machines. The government should compensate us with money.”
Olatunji noted that many had to borrow loans from micro-finance banks and cooperatives to start up their lives, the last time such fire incident happened.
Another shop owner, Mr Adewale Adeniran posited that he lost about N30 million in the incident. “Many of us started this business about 20 years ago and we need help to pick ourselves up again.
No one knows the cause of the incident because electricity was not restored overnight. Even, we largely use generating sets to power our equipments,” Adeniran said.