Agony and pain was seen on the faces of traders, sympathizers as fire razed part of Araromi Market at Agodi Gate in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, destroying goods worth millions of Naira on Sunday.
Mostly affected were shops where new and used tyres and other motor parts were sold.
The cause of the fire disaster is yet unknown but some of the affected traders suspect that refuse burning might have led to the disaster.
It is unclear how many shops were affected but the damage in the affected shops were absolute, as nothing could be salvaged from the rubble despite the spirited efforts fire service men, police and civil defence officials trying to put out the fire
Some of the affected traders said despite the timely response of the state fire service, the damage was enormous, as the affected shops sell heavy duty tyres for truck, caterpillars and trailers which were all razed.
Although the fire has been put off, smoke and heaps of burnt tyres and other goods are evidence of the destruction that had occurred at the market mostly built with wood and roofing sheets.
Some owners of the shops razed had arrived the scene to find their property gone. All they could see were heaps of ashes.
Oludayo Akande, another shop owner said he lost so many goods to the fire and sought the government’s support for the affected persons.
The traders at the Agodi Gate Tyre and Auto Spare Parts Market are, however, calling on the Oyo State Government to come to their aid to cushion the huge loss.