On Saturday, a residential building in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, was engulfed in flames during late morning hours, resulting in injuries to an 86-year-old man.
According to a statement by Hassan Adekunle, the spokesperson for the Kwara State Fire Service, the fire broke out around noon. The incident occurred when the elderly individual, reportedly cooking at the time, briefly stepped away to attend to someone before returning to find the blaze.
The fire, which originated in one of the rooms of the 12-room building situated on Afolayan Street in the state capital, caused damage to the affected room as well as some properties within it.
Adekunle narrated, “Upon arrival, they found a 12-room building with only one room affected, containing belongings and personal items that were lost to the inferno. The firefighters showcased their expertise, in containing the fire and preventing further damage to adjacent buildings.
“Investigations revealed that an 86-year-old occupant had been cooking and momentarily stepped out to attend to someone. Upon returning, he discovered his apartment was on fire.
“In a state of distress, he re-entered the burning apartment, possibly to retrieve belongings, and suffered injuries, including burns to the hair on his head. The injured man was promptly taken to the nearest hospital to receive treatment for his injuries.”
The spokesperson however urged residents of the state to be fire safety conscious while commiserating with the victim.
“The Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, Prince Falade John, expressed sympathy for the octogenarian’s injuries and emphasized the importance of fire safety awareness, urging the public to remain vigilant and take necessary precautions to prevent such incidents,” Adekunle said.
It was reported on Friday that 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 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.
