A fire outbreak triggered by a power surge gutted a shop in the Ita-Ogunbo area of Pakata Road in Ilorin on Saturday morning, but prompt intervention by operatives of the Kwara State Fire Service prevented the blaze from spreading to other parts of the building and neighbouring properties.
The incident occurred at No. 61, Pakata Road, Ita-Ogunbo area, at approximately 11:09 am, in a building comprising eight rooms and five shops, of which one shop bore the full brunt of the fire.
Confirming the incident in a statement signed on Sunday by the Public Relations Officer and Head of Media Unit, Hassan Adekunle, on behalf of the Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, the agency said firefighters arrived at the scene promptly and succeeded in containing the fire before it could spread to adjoining shops, rooms and properties in the vicinity. Preliminary investigations carried out at the scene, the agency added, established that the fire was caused by a power surge which ignited combustible materials stored within the affected shop.
The Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, CFS Alabi Muhammed, used the occasion to issue a safety advisory to residents and business owners across the state, urging them to adopt standard electrical installations in their premises, fit surge protectors to guard against the kind of voltage fluctuations that sparked the Ilorin incident, and avoid leaving electrical appliances unattended during periods of unstable power supply, which remain a common feature of electricity distribution in many parts of the country.
Muhammed further stressed the importance of keeping portable fire extinguishers on hand in residential and commercial premises, describing early intervention with such equipment as one of the most effective ways of preventing a small fire from escalating into a major disaster. The agency reiterated its commitment to protecting lives and property across Kwara State and called on members of the public to remain vigilant and report fire incidents without delay.
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