No fewer than 14 shops have been razed in a midnight fire outbreak at Ogundipe Market, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, leaving traders counting their losses.
The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, was confirmed by the Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Fire Reform and Chairman of the State Fire Services Agency, Moroof Akinwande.
According to him, the distress call was received at 3:50 a.m. and fire personnel led by Chief Fire Superintendent (CFS) Olayiwola T.K. were promptly mobilised to the scene.
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“On arrival, 14 out of the 42 shops were already engulfed in flames. Our officers swiftly swung into action to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to adjoining shops. No casualty was recorded, and properties worth billions of naira were saved,” Akinwande stated.
He assured that investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident and advised traders across the state to acquire fire extinguishers for their shops to tackle emergencies at an early stage.
Residential Building Gutted in Egbeda
In a separate incident on the same day, a four-bedroom flat was gutted by fire at No. 17, Ifesowapo Maternity, Zone 2, Ajoda, in the Egbeda area of Ibadan.
Akinwande disclosed that the agency received the emergency call at 12:42 a.m., and fire personnel led by Assistant Chief Fire Superintendent (ACFS) Adisa Wasiu were immediately deployed to the site.
“On arrival, we discovered a residential building of four bedrooms and an adjoining two-room flat in flames. Our officers curtailed the fire to stop it from spreading to nearby properties. No life was lost, but valuables worth millions of naira were destroyed,” he explained.
The fire, he added, was traced to an electrical surge from a plugged gadget left unattended.
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Public Advisory
The Fire Services boss urged residents to switch off and unplug electrical appliances when not in use, especially at night and after business hours, to prevent fire outbreaks.
He further advised the public to promptly report incidents with accurate addresses using the agency’s emergency numbers: 08067439223, 08054353501, or 615.
