A fire that broke out in the early hours of Wednesday has caused extensive damage to goods, equipment, and properties valued in the millions, destroying five shops in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State. According to reports, the fire occurred next to the Olowo-Ifon shopping complex, Orita Challenge, affecting a total of eleven shops, five of which were completely destroyed while some others were saved. Maroof Akinwande, the Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Service, confirmed the fire in a statement and mentioned that the agency received notification of the blaze around 2:24 AM Wednesday morning. He stated that the fire appears to have been caused by an electrical surge. Personnel from the agency, headed by CFS Adesina Olusoji, quickly responded to the incident. Upon arrival, they found shops consumed by flames. “We immediately took action to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby shops and the adjacent shopping complex.” The fire has been fully put out, and tips on fire safety were provided to the public to help prevent future incidents. The blaze impacted five out of eleven shops, but the agency’s staff managed to protect properties valued in the millions of naira. The cause of the fire was determined to be an electrical surge that ignited flammable materials in the vicinity, resulting in the destruction of the shops.
