Reports has it that scores of people were feared dead and others injured when a six storey plaza at the popular Balogun Market in Lagos was gutted by fire on Thursday.

It was gathered that the plaza was surrounded by several important business premises, which included the Union Bank, Diamond Bank and the United Bank for Africa.

Investigations revealed that the fire started at about 9am and was battled by a team of combined fire-fighters from the Union Bank and UBA before the arrival of the Lagos State Fire Service.

Some eyewitnesses said some people, who jumped out from various floors of the burning plaza to escape the fire, were carried away dead.

Mallam Hamza Abdullahi, a trader in the market, said that he saw three dead bodies and five people, who were wounded.

“People were shouting and jumping down from upstairs. I saw a woman dead with her skull open,” he said.

Mrs Florence Adewunmi, a staff member of the Lagos State Ambulance Mobile Intensive Care Service, stationed at the scene said that some victims had been stabilised and transferred to hospital.

Adewunmi added, “There are several casualties. We got a distress call at about 10am that there was a fire outbreak at Balogun, behind UBA.

“We proceeded here and learnt that they have rushed some people to General Hospital, Lagos, but we met some casualties on the ground.

“The patients jumped from the second, third and fourth floor and had fractures and varying degrees of injuries.

“There were those that inhaled too much smoke, so we gave some oxygen, some Dyclofenac injection; we treated ankle dislocations; we sutured deep cuts before carrying them to General Hospital, Lagos.

“So far, we have carried six people to hospital and discharged four after treatment.”

One of shop owners, who deals on female shoes, Mr Nonso Christian said that he came to the plaza at 10am and met it on fire.

“I met the plaza on fire and I tried to go in to bring out my goods, but I couldn’t because the fire is too much.

“My shop is on the second floor and I just re-stocked on Monday. I don’t know what to do because the second floor is still on fire,” he said.

Several other shop owners, who were wailing while watching the fire, declined comment. One of them simply said “we are sad, this hard economy. Where do I start from?’’

A security man attached to Union Bank, Mr Umoru Monday also said that the fire started a few minutes before 9am.