Fire guts shops in Oyo

A fire broke out in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, early Sunday morning, destroying three shops. The swift response of the state fire service, however, saved 13 other shops from being consumed.

According to investigations, our correspondent reports that the blaze began around midnight behind a branch of First City Monument Bank in Dugbe, reportedly caused by burning refuse left unattended by occupants of the premises.

While no lives were lost, property and goods worth millions of naira were destroyed.

This latest fire adds to a series of devastating incidents in Ibadan within December 2024. Earlier in the month, Moniya Market witnessed a fire that razed 17 shops, consuming goods worth millions.

Additionally, a parish of the Christ Apostolic Church at Wisdom Estate, Road 1G, Olohunda-Aba Road, also fell victim to a fire outbreak.

A source at the scene of Sunday’s incident remarked, “Actually, the cause of the fire incident is still unknown to me, but I heard people saying it was as a result of burning of refuse by the people living in that premises.”

Confirming the incident, the General Manager of the Oyo State Fire Services, Yemi Akinyinka, disclosed that the agency received a distress call at 12:25 a.m.

“Our agency received the information at exactly 00:25 hrs on Sunday,” Akinyinka said. “Personnel were quickly deployed to the scene, and they got there in time because there was no traffic or hold-up.

“On arrival, we found three shops already engulfed in flames. We swiftly swung into action to prevent the fire from spreading to other nearby properties.

“The fire was completely extinguished, and we educated people on-site about fire prevention during the harmattan and controlling fires at their incipient stages.”

He added, “Three shops were destroyed, but 13 shops and other properties were saved by the swift intervention of our officers.”

Akinyinka further traced the cause of the fire to refuse burning and warned against indiscriminate burning of refuse and bushes.

He emphasised, “Undergrowth should be totally avoided in our community.”