New Year’s Eve tragedy as fire razes electronics shops in Lagos
The transition into the new year is typically a period of high hopes and spiritual thanksgiving for many Lagosians. While thousands were gathered in churches for crossover services and others were counting down the seconds to 2026 with family, a devastating tragedy was unfolding in the heart of Ikotun.
For the business owners at a popular storey building shopping complex near the Ikotun Roundabout, the dream of a prosperous new year was met with the nightmare of a raging inferno. Instead of hearing the sound of fireworks and cheers, the residents of the area were woken up by the crackling of flames and the thick smell of burning wires and plastic.
This Lagos electronics shop fire on New Year Eve serves as a painful reminder of how quickly life and livelihood can change in the blink of an eye.
Massive destruction of multi million naira goods at Ikotun complex
The fire, which broke out in the early hours of Wednesday, January 1, 2026, was not a small affair. According to official reports, the blaze completely gutted a shopping complex containing twenty four shops of various sizes.
These were not just empty stalls; they were thriving hubs for the sale of high end electronics. Items worth hundreds of millions of naira, including brand new television sets, washing machines, refrigerators, and power generators, were reduced to heaps of ash and twisted metal.
For many of these traders, these goods represented their entire life savings and the fruit of years of hard work. In a city where the hustle is real and every kobo counts, watching twenty four shops go up in flames just as the new year begins is a blow that is hard to describe in words.
Emergency response and the suspected cause of the Ikotun blaze
The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, led by its Controller-General, Margaret Adeseye, confirmed that the agency received a distress call at approximately 12:22 a.m.
Firefighters from the Isolo, Ijegun, and Enigbo stations were immediately mobilized to the scene, arriving within ten minutes to battle the inferno. It took a massive collaborative effort, involving the deployment of specialized foam branches and multiple water tankers, to eventually bring the fire under control and prevent it from spreading to nearby residential buildings.
Preliminary investigations by the fire service suggest that the cause of the fire was an electrical surge resulting from negligence. It is a sobering thought that a simple mistake or a faulty connection could lead to such a massive loss of property, though we are thankful that no lives were lost in the incident.
Lessons from the recent string of fire outbreaks in Lagos markets
This incident at Ikotun does not stand alone as it follows a worrying trend of market fires in Lagos over the last week of 2025. We have recently seen similar disasters at the Arena Market in Oshodi and the Great Nigeria Insurance building on Lagos Island.
As we step into 2026, it is clear that we cannot continue with a business-as-usual approach to fire safety. Market associations and shop owners must prioritize the installation of fire extinguishers and ensure that all electrical appliances are properly switched off after business hours.
The government must also continue to invest in the capacity of our first responders; however, the real work begins with individual vigilance. As we sympathize with the victims of the Ikotun fire, let us all resolve to make fire safety a personal priority so that our celebrations are never again cut short by such avoidable tragedies.
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