A fire outbreak on Wednesday destroyed 14 shops at Ogundipe Market in Ibadan, Oyo State, leaving traders grappling with losses.
Moroof Akinwande, Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Fire Reform and Chairman of the State Fire Services Agency, confirmed the incident in a statement.
Akinwande revealed that firefighters, led by CFS Olayiwola T.K., promptly responded to the distress call and arrived to find 14 out of 42 shops engulfed in flames.
The team successfully contained the fire, preventing it from spreading to adjoining shops. “No casualty was recorded, and properties worth billions of naira were saved by the officers of the fire service,” he said.
Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing, and traders were advised to adopt safety measures, including equipping shops with fire extinguishers to tackle small outbreaks early.
In a separate incident on the same day, a four-bedroom residential flat at No. 17, Ifesowapo Maternity, Zone 2, Ajoda, in Egbeda Local Government Area, was also destroyed by fire. Akinwande stated that firemen, led by ACFS Adisa Wasiu, responded to the distress call at 12:42 am.
Upon arrival, they found the four-bedroom flat and an adjoining two-bathroom flat engulfed in flames. The firefighters managed to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby buildings, though properties worth millions of naira were lost. No casualties were reported.
The cause of the residential fire was attributed to an electrical surge from a plugged device left unattended.
Akinwande urged residents to switch off and unplug electrical appliances when not in use, especially before going to bed or leaving the house, to reduce the risk of fire outbreaks.
