A fire outbreak on Wednesday destroyed 28 shops at the popular Kara market in Ajase-Ipo town, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara.

It was reported that the fire started around 1:35 a.m. and affected 22 plank shops and six container shops before the Kwara Fire Service put it out.

The market has 323 shops in total, including 22 plank shops and seven kiosks.

The spokesperson of the state Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, who confirmed the incident, said that the fire was caused by the negligence of one of the shop owners.

Mr Adekunle said that it was reported that a shop owner was cooking late at night and did not put out the fire properly.

“The fire later came back on and spread to other shops because the area had many wooden structures.

“Firefighters arrived on time to stop the fire from spreading to the rest of the market, saving many other shops and goods from being destroyed.

“The quick action of our men stopped a bigger disaster.

“We want traders to always be careful with fire, especially in markets where there are many things that can easily burn,” he said.

The spokesman of the fire service also advised shop owners to always put out fire completely after use and be safety conscious.

(NAN)