A residential building on Tewo-Gbore Street, Ogele Ori-Sunbare, in the Eyenkorin area of Asa Local Government Area of Kwara State, was gutted by fire in the early hours of Sunday.
A room-and-parlour self-contained apartment and a two-bedroom flat were affected in the incident, which occurred around 12:38 a.m.
The spokesperson for the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, in a statement on Sunday, explained that firefighters responded immediately after receiving a distress call from the area.
The statement said the timely intervention of the firefighters prevented the blaze from spreading to nearby structures and limited the extent of the damage recorded during the incident.
The spokesperson said, “Preliminary investigations traced the cause of the fire to improperly quenched charcoal stored within the vicinity of the residential building.”
Findings, according to Adekunle, showed that sacks of charcoal had just been unloaded, and part of the charcoal was not completely extinguished. He said that, upon exposure to air, the residual heat reignited and worsened the situation, resulting in the fire spreading to the building.
Alabi Muhammed, Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, while reacting to the incident, advised charcoal dealers, transporters, and residents against the careless handling and storage of combustible materials capable of retaining heat.
He stressed the need to avoid storing combustible materials close to residential buildings and urged residents to remain vigilant and promptly report fire outbreaks to emergency responders.
The agency assured the public of its commitment to safeguarding lives and property through proactive emergency response and public safety sensitisation across the state.
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