Hundreds of shops have been destroyed in an early Monday morning fire outbreak at the popular Oranyan Market, Ibadan North-East Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The inferno, which reportedly started around midnight, affected several sections of the market.

Eyewitness accounts said the fire started in the middle of the market following an explosion. The exact cause of the explosion is yet to be confirmed.

“Those affected were gold sellers, furniture sellers, second-hand clothes sellers and many others,” one eyewitness told reporters.

Unconfirmed reports put the number of affected shops at more than 200.

The Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Fire Reforms and Chairman of Oyo State Fire Services, Morouf Akinwande, confirmed the incident.

He said the fire was brought under control by 1am to prevent it from spreading further.

Akinwande, however, cautioned against putting a figure on the number of shops destroyed, saying a proper assessment would be done after investigation.

“What is known is that some shops were destroyed and the fire incident started in the middle of the market with an explosion. Whether it’s a gas explosion or other things… On the number of shops and inventory, that is too early because that’s post-fire outbreak investigation,” he said.

The latest incident has raised fresh concerns over recurring fire outbreaks in major markets across the state.

It comes barely two days after another fire destroyed nine locked-up shops at the Nigerian Railway Shopping Complex along Aleshinloye Market in Ibadan South-West LGA.

It would also be recalled that a similar fire incident occurred at the herbal section of Oranyan Market in 2024, when more than 200 shops were reportedly razed.

The Oyo State Fire Agency has begun an investigation into the cause of the latest inferno.

Source: Channels News.