A fire outbreak in the early hours of Monday at 158 Alaparun Compound, Isale Alore, Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State, has claimed the life of a 41-year-old man, identified as Abdulfatai.
The fire, which started around 2 a.m., ravaged a 35-room residential building, destroying five rooms before firefighters successfully contained the blaze.
Abdulfatai, who reportedly came from Alate Compound in the Abayawo area to spend the night with a friend, was unable to escape due to heavy smoke that left him unconscious.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle stated, “At 2:07 a.m. on December 9, we received a distress call about a fire outbreak at No. 158, Ile Alaparun. Our team quickly responded and worked tirelessly to control the fire, saving 30 out of the 35 rooms.”
Adekunle added that the body of the deceased was handed over to his family after the firefighting operation.
“Tragically, Abdulfatai could not escape the smoke, which led to his demise. He was visiting a friend and wasn’t a resident of the affected building,” he explained.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the fire started due to spontaneous ignition in a room where highly flammable materials, including petrol, batteries, and a tyre inflator engine, were stored.
The Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, Falade John, expressed condolences to the family of the deceased and the leadership of Ile Alaparun.
“Our thoughts are with the family and the community. We urge residents to observe strict fire safety precautions to prevent such tragic incidents,” Falade said.
While the fire caused significant damage, the prompt response of the fire service prevented the disaster from escalating further, providing some relief to the affected community.
