A devastating fire erupted at the popular Arena Shopping Mall along Agege Motor Road in Oshodi, Lagos State, on Tuesday evening, sending plumes of thick black smoke into the sky and causing widespread chaos among traders and residents. The blaze, which started around 6:00 PM local time, rapidly spread through sections of the market, destroying goods and structures worth potentially billions of naira.
Eyewitness videos circulating on social media captured intense flames consuming market stalls and nearby trucks, with crowds of people frantically attempting to salvage their belongings amid the inferno. One widely shared clip shows firefighters arriving at the scene but struggling to combat the fire due to a reported lack of water in their trucks. “Serious fire outbreak is currently ongoing at Arena Market, Oshodi,” noted an Instagram post, highlighting that “responding fire service teams lack water to combat” the blaze.
Similar accounts from X users described traders rushing to remove sacks of goods as the fire raged, with some speculating about the cause.
This is not the first time Arena Market has faced such a calamity. In August 2025, a similar fire razed goods worth millions of naira, prompting calls for better fire safety measures in Lagos markets.
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Shop owners affected by the latest incident are now demanding a thorough probe, echoing sentiments from previous events where traders counted heavy losses and sought investigations into possible foul play.
Authorities have urged the public to avoid the area to facilitate emergency operations. Updates from LASEMA and other agencies are expected as the situation develops
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