The Kwara State Fire Service has said properties worth N4.6 million were lost to the fire incident that occurred in the early morning of Saturday, November, 17 at the Basin Road area, Ilorin, the state capital.
The fire, which started around 2.06am at No. 48 Basin Road, opposite CAC Church, in the Ilorin South Local Government Area of the state, gutted a block of eight shops.
According to a statement by the service’s Head of Media and Publicity, Hassan Adekunle, the cause of the fire was a power surge.
Adekunle, said only two out of the eight shops were destroyed due to the quick intervention of the firemen and six shops and goods worth N68.5 million were saved.
“The fire crew promptly departed the station and, upon arrival at the scene, encountered a fierce blaze engulfing a block of eight shops, resulting in damage to two of them,” he said.
He explained that the firemen demonstrated remarkable skill and successfully brought the inferno under control by 2:20am.
“Subsequent investigation identified the cause of the incident as a power surge”, he said.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.