There was palpable fear at Old Garage area of Osogbo, Osun State on Sunday following a fire incident at a store where plastic containers were kept located in the area.
As of the time our Correspondent left the scene at about 7:10pm, firemen were still battling to put out the fire which was reported to the operatives around 2pm.
The affected store, where plastic containers were kept, is located close to a filling station and Dugbe Divisional Headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force in Osogbo.
The location of the affected store heightened the apprehension of the people at the scene, as the fire men battled hard to restrain the raging flame from spreading to other nearby premises.
A petty trader near the affected store, Modupe Olatoye, said smoke was noticed from the storey building where plastic containers were kept around 2pm.
“We observed that smoke was coming from the building around 2pm and we immediately contacted Oke Fia, Osogbo fire station.
“The firemen responded very early and they have been battling to put it out since then. The store is located right in the middle of some buildings and near a filing station.
“The fear that the fire may spread is really causing panic but the firemen are still working to prevent it from spreading beyond this point,” Olatoye said.
The spokesperson for Osun Fire Service, Ibrahim Adekunle, who spoke to The PUNCH at the scene of the inferno, said about 5 fire trucks were deployed.
“We are still battling to prevent escalation. About five fire trucks have been deployed to work. The cause of the fire is not known yet. The incident was reported to us around 2:pm.
“Investigation will be conducted after we have successfully put out the fire,” Adekunle said.
In January, 2025, PUNCH reported that Akinola Market, a weekly marketplace in Ipetumodu, Osun State, was engulfed by fire, destroying goods worth millions of naira.
The incident, which occurred late in the evening, caused panic among traders who had all gone home after the day’s activities. Many rushed back to the market in distress after receiving calls about the inferno.
A trader, who preferred to remain anonymous for security reasons, said the cause of the fire had not been determined, adding that the section affected was where tubers of yam were stored.
