The popular Olusola Saraki Market, Ita-Amo, Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, has been gutted by fire, with goods worth millions of Naira destroyed.

According to the spokesman of the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, by the time the operatives of the Fire Service arrived at the scene, it was discovered that multiple shops had been set ablaze, in a market comprising 276 shops.

He added that “Through swift intervention, professionalism, and expertise, our team successfully contained the inferno, limiting the damage to only seven shops and saving 269 others”.

The affected shops included meat vendors, clothing material shops, and provision stores, the statement added.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the incident might have been caused by a power surge following the fluctuating power supply from the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), as reported by the market’s security personnel.

“The Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, Prince Falade John, sympathised with the market leadership, affected shop owners, and the entire market community.

“He expressed hope that their losses would be restored in multiple folds and urged everyone to adopt fire safety measures to prevent future occurrences.

“For emergencies, please contact the Kwara State Fire Service via the following hotlines: 08030419316, 112, 08025896740,” the statement stated.