A resident’s failure to properly extinguish a charcoal fire used for cooking on Thursday night resulted in a fire that engulfed a 40-room flat in the early hours of Friday.
The incident happened at the Ile Muse compound, off Emir’s Road in Ilorin, Kwara State,
It was gathered that 9 of the 40 rooms at No. E143, Ile Muse, off Emir’s road, Ilorin in Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara were consumed by the inferno that engulfed the building early on Friday.
Eye witness account corroborated by the report of the state fire service said that the fire incident started in the wee hours of Friday and was caused by an unextinguished fire from Charcoal left in the night by one of the residents after cooking her meals.
A neighbour, Mallam Abdulkadir, said the vigilante guarding the area noticed the fire and raised the alarm to wake the residents around 2.30 am.
“Some residents were already awake and we were making efforts to put out the fire when the firemen arrived and used their equipment to stop the fire from spreading to the whole of the building”, he said.
In a statement by its Head of Media and Publicity, Hassan Adekunle, Kwara State Fire Service said, “The Fire Service received a distress call at about 3.00 am on Friday that a raging fire had engulfed a compound at No. E143, Ile Muse, off Emir’s Road, Ilorin.
“The fire had already burned 9 rooms completely before the crew got there but the firemen sprang into action, racing against time to save lives and property”, the statement said.
“Upon arrival, the firefighters were met with a daunting challenge. But with their training, skill, and unwavering dedication, they battled the blaze with unrelenting fury. The fire was finally brought under control at 03:42 hours, a testament to the crew’s unyielding spirit and professionalism”, the statement read.
Adekunle, who said that no life was lost in the inferno, revealed that household utensils, clothes, electronics and building materials, as well as personal documents, were lost to the fire incident.
He said that the Director of the State Fire Service, Prince Falade John, who was visibly moved by the incident, sympathised with the victims.
“This avoidable tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the importance of fire safety and awareness”, Falade emphasised.
