Panic As Fire Razes Yaba Market Shops In Lagos

Residents and traders in the Yaba area of Lagos were thrown into panic in the early hours of Saturday after a fire outbreak razed parts of a market in the area.

The fire, which reportedly started around 3 a.m., affected several shops, with eyewitnesses saying goods worth millions of naira may have been destroyed.

Videos and social media posts circulating online showed thick smoke billowing from the market as flames engulfed sections of the facility. Traders and nearby residents were also seen making frantic efforts to salvage goods and personal belongings.

An eyewitness, identified as Lugar Feliz during a TikTok livestream, said firefighters had already arrived at the scene.

According to the eyewitness, the incident occurred around the Popo section of the market in Yaba.

As of the time of filing this report, the cause of the fire had yet to be ascertained, while the extent of damage remained unclear.

Efforts by THE WHISTLER to get official confirmation from the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service were unsuccessful, as calls to the agency’s Controller General, Margaret Adeseye, did not go through.

The latest incident adds to the growing list of fire outbreaks recorded in Lagos in recent months.

In December 2025, a fire gutted a clothing warehouse at Great Nigeria Insurance House, a commercial plaza on Martins Street in the Lagos Island area of the state.

The blaze affected parts of the high-rise building, which was largely used for the storage and sale of clothing materials.

At least 12 persons were reported dead in the incident, while several others sustained varying degrees of injuries.