Shoppers panic as fire guts part of Shoprite

There was pandemonium at the Ikeja Shopping Mall, otherwise known as Shoprite, as part of it went up in flames.
Though nobody was confirmed injured or killed, but the shoppers were said to have taken to their heels in panic as they saw the fire and billowing smoke.
The fire was said to have started at about 11am.
The part of the shopping mall, which was gutted by fire, had since been identified as Mr. Price wing.
Mr. Price is a boutique inside the mall.
It is believed that the cause of the fire was due to power surge, which quickly spread, engulfing the clothing shop.
Other wings were adviced to close shops as shoppers were ushered out.
Mr. Steve Idornigie, who is in charge of operation at the mall, explained that the surge was caused by a partial contact from a power point.
Idornigie said: “The time was about 11:15am, the store manager of Mr. Price alerted me about the incident and we responded swiftly.
“We were joined by the men of Lagos State Fire and Safety Services, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, National Emergency Management Agency, the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps.
“The process of evacuation was swift.
“The customers were evacuated in an orderly fashion, which allowed the emergency services people to do their work.
“From preliminary investigations, it seems the fire emanated from an electric power point.
“However investigations are ongoing to ascertain the real cause of the fire.
“In terms of damage, no goods were lost neither was anyone injured.
“However some clothes got wet as a result of the water used in containing the fire.”
Mr. Fadipe Idowu, Director of the state fire service, revealed that the electrical surge ignited all the bulbs in the shop, which led to the fire outbreak.