No fewer than 10 shops were completely destroyed by a fire outbreak at the Iya Maryam Adebara Complex in the Ogunpa Market area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Services Agency, Mr. Moroof Akinwande, confirmed the incident in a statement explaining that the agency received a distress call from the Baale of Ogunpa, Alhaji Nurudeen Lawal, who alerted authorities to the inferno.
According to Akinwande, firefighters were immediately deployed to the scene and met several shops already engulfed in flames on arrival.
“Our officers swiftly got into action and prevented the fire from spreading to other shops and nearby properties, while the Federal Fire Service also joined hands with us to extinguish the fire,” he said.
The fire services boss attributed the cause of the incident to negligence, noting that the blaze started while a generator was being refueled by one of the shop occupants.
“Preliminary findings revealed that the fire was caused by a generator being fueled inside one of the shops,” Akinwande disclosed.
He added that no lives were lost in the incident and commended the prompt intervention of security agencies at the scene.
“No casualty was recorded, and we appreciate the police personnel from Iyaganku Police Headquarters for providing adequate security during the operation,” he said.
Residents and traders in the bustling Ogunpa Market have been urged to observe fire safety measures, especially in the handling of generators and flammable substances, to prevent future occurrences.
