Kwara fire service saves shops from midnight fire

Kwara State Fire firefighters in the early hours of Wednesday successfully curtailed a fire outbreak at a commercial building in the Tanke area of Ilorin, preventing what could have resulted in extensive property loss.

According to the spokesman of the fire service, Hassan Adekunle, the service received a distress call at 02:19hrs, reporting a fire outbreak at a storey building located beside Terminus Motor Park, along University Road, Tipper Garage, Tanke, Ilorin.

“Firefighters responded promptly to the emergency and arrived to find a storey building comprising six shops and one kiosk engulfed in flames.

“Through swift and coordinated firefighting operations, the crew successfully contained the fire, restricting the damage to only one kiosk, while all six shops were saved from destruction.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the fire was caused by a power surge,” the spokesman added.

The director of the state fire service, Alabi Muhammed, commended the professionalism and rapid response of the firefighters.

He also urged members of the public to ensure that electrical installations are carried out by qualified professionals and to switch off electrical appliances whenever they are not in use.

The fire director, further advised property owners to install appropriate surge protection devices to minimize the risk of fire outbreaks resulting from power fluctuations.