Authorities of the Oyo State Fire Service has noted that blockage of access roads by some traders in the state is a major case hindering the agency’s prompt response to fire incidents.
OyoAffairs.net had earlier reported that the late hours of Wednesday, goods and property worth millions of naira were destroyed in a fire incident that gutted a section of the plank market at Bodija.
The agency made this disclosure on Wednesday through the General Manager, Reverend Canon Yemi Akinyinka, while confirming the bodija plank market incident.
Akinyinka, however, regretted that the blockade of access roads at the market prevented the agency to respond promptly.
He warned traders to desist from blocking access roads with their goods, explaining that the poor road network in the market prevented fire trucks from gaining access to the problem spot.
He said, “The agency received the distress call at exactly 16:37hrs of Tuesday 25, April 2023 by one Mr. Rasheed Akinwale alerting of the incident.
“Immediately, the address was taken, we deployed fire contingents to the scene of the fire incident and on their arrival they met some shops well alight and quickly got into work and restricted the fire from gaining further momentum.
“The cooling down is in progress now. Officers of the federal fire service and Airport Fire Service are also in attendance.
“The poor road network in the market caused a great problem for the accessibility of the fire trucks in gaining free entrance. The market people should refrain from the habit of blocking the access road with their materials”.