A pre-dawn inferno sent waves of panic through the Yaba district of Lagos on Saturday, as a massive fire tore through the local market.
The blaze, which reportedly erupted around 3:00 a.m., centered on the Popo section of the market, where it quickly engulfed several stalls.
Social media footage sighted by Persecondews captured a chaotic scene of thick black smoke and towering flames as desperate traders and residents braved the heat to salvage what remained of their livelihoods.
Several users on X (formerly Twitter) also raised concerns over the incident.
A user, Clinically firm (@GAnorue17378), posted, “BREAKING: Yaba Market on Fire since yesterday Night. Details later.”
Another user, Obutexofficial (@Obutex7), wrote, “Yaba on Fire, fire outbreak since 1 am.”
Similarly, Olamilekan Iyiola (@Olamilekan0932) described the situation as “a terrible fire outbreak in yaba right now.”
Reacting to the incident, Adeoluwa. (@Okunlola_Jude) said, “Woke up to the news that yaba is burning, the shops just behind mine completely burnt to ground, billions gone like that.”
He also alleged challenges with the emergency response, writing, “Fire service headquarters is just 10 mins walk from there, they could only bring a truck.”
Another user, Sullex Print and Branding (@SullexBranding), claimed that some of the responding fire trucks lacked water.
“Three fire service trucks and only one truck has water, fire outbreak currently at Ajibode street, Yaba,” the user posted.
As of this report, the official cause of the inferno remains undetermined.
The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service has yet to release a formal statement detailing the full scale of the destruction or confirming any casualties.
While firefighting operations continue at the scene, the incident has sparked renewed calls from residents for enhanced emergency response systems to mitigate such devastating losses in the future.
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