A fire outbreak in the early hours of Wednesday razed five shops beside the Olowo-Ifon shopping complex in the Orita Challenge area of Ibadan, Oyo State.
This was confirmed by the Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Service, Maroof Akinwande, in a statement on Wednesday.
The blaze started around 2:24am.
Akinwande said firefighters responded swiftly and prevented the fire from spreading to other shops and the complex.
“Our personnel acted quickly and salvaged properties worth millions. Unfortunately, five out of eleven shops were destroyed,” he said.
Preliminary investigations suggest the inferno was caused by an electrical surge that ignited nearby flammable materials.
Akinwande urged residents and business owners to prioritise fire safety and adopt preventive measures to avoid similar incidents.
The Punch
