The inferno, which occurred on Tuesday, devastated the residents and traders who sell mattresses, carpets, gum and other combustible materials.

Speaking on the incident, the Public Relations Officer of the state fire service, Hassan Adekunle, said the team encountered a massive inferno which originated from a lorry overloaded with mattresses when they arrived at the scene.

“The fire destroyed the lorry and spread to a nearby building containing 47 rooms and 19 shops.

“Despite the intensity of the blaze, our swift efforts to contain it prevent further destruction. 12 shops and 31 rooms were saved while 7 shops and 16 rooms were unfortunately affected,” he stated.

Adekunle said investigations revealed that the fire originated from a lorry overloaded with mattresses that collided with a high-tension wire, causing a spark that ignited the mattresses.

“The highly flammable nature of the mattresses contributed to the swift spread of the fire. Additionally, the explosion of a nearby step-down transformer intensified the situation and spread to the affected shops and rooms,” he added.

He acknowledged the “valuable assistance by the Federal Fire Service, the police, who protected firefighters from the threat posed by hoodlums attempting to disrupt the operation and the media houses for their timely notifications and real-time updates”.