A two-storey building of 25 shops and 44 rooms, was gutted by fire in Ilorin on Saturday
The fire disaster occurred at about 13:10hours at Alhaji Haruna Kannike shopping complex, Ipata market, Ilorin, Kwara State capital.
A statement by the spokesman of the state fire service, Hassan Adekunle, in Ilorin, said firefighters responded promptly to a distress call reporting a fire outbreak at the market.
He said a fire truck and crew arrived swiftly at the scene to combat the blaze in the two-storey building, adding that upon arrival, the fire had already engulfed some rooms on the upper floor.
“Undeterred by the challenging situation, the gallant firefighters contained the blaze, extinguished it completely, and prevented it from spreading to other parts of the market.
“While 22 rooms were affected, 22 others and all 25 shops were successfully saved.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that parts of Ilorin had experienced a power outage lasting nearly five days.
“Shortly after electricity was restored by IBEDC, a power surge occurred, igniting the fire on the upper floor.
“Federal Fire Service personnel also joined the operation, assisting in extinguishing the inferno—a testament to the strong synergy between the two agencies,” the statement added.
Director of the state fire service, Prince Falade John, urged the public to unplug electrical appliances when not in use and emphasized the importance of adopting safety measures to prevent fire outbreaks.
