Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
A newborn baby and the child’s parents have escaped death after a fire ravaged buildings and businesses on Lawyer Lambo Street, Oloje Phase 2, Ilorin, Kwara State, in the early hours of Tuesday.
The family was rescued by community members after fire severely damaged their room-and-parlour apartment, according to the Kwara State Fire Service.
The inferno also destroyed a vehicle and a vulcanising workshop, damaged two residential buildings and affected an adjoining travel and tours office.
The fire service confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Public Relations Officer, Hassan Adekunle, saying it received a distress call and arrived at the scene at 2:41 am in Ilorin West Local Government Area.
“The incident involved two buildings comprising four-bedroom flats each and a third building consisting of a room-and-parlour self-contained apartment.
“The room-and-parlour self-contained apartment was severely affected by the fire. Fortunately, the occupants, who had recently welcomed a newborn baby, were rescued by members of the community,” the statement read.
The agency said three vehicles were parked in one of the four-bedroom flats when the fire broke out. One was completely burnt, while firefighters saved the other two.
The second residential building also sustained damage, particularly in its kitchen, where electrical appliances, including a freezer, were affected. Its solar power generation system was also damaged.
The adjoining travel and tours office suffered damage to its solar power system, four tubular batteries and other electrical appliances, while the nearby vulcanising workshop was destroyed.
Explaining the cause of the incident, the fire service said preliminary findings pointed to the collapse of a concrete pole supporting a 33-kilovolt electricity transmission line.
“Preliminary findings indicate that the incident resulted from the collapse of a concrete pole supporting a 33kV electricity transmission line.
“The fallen line also landed on the vehicle that was burnt, and a spark reportedly ignited its tyre before the fire escalated within a short period,” the statement added.
The fallen transmission line posed an additional danger to firefighters, prompting the agency to contact the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company control room to request the shutdown of the electricity feeder supplying the affected area.
The Chief Fire Officer, Alabi Muhammed, sympathised with affected residents, property owners and business operators over their losses. He also warned residents against constructing buildings beneath high-tension electricity lines and urged property developers to observe the required safety setbacks.
The fire service advised residents to promptly report fallen poles, damaged electrical infrastructure and exposed wires to the relevant authorities, warning them against touching fallen cables or objects in contact with them.
The agency also commended community members who helped rescue the family, stressing the importance of public cooperation during emergencies.
The incident occurred less than 24 hours after another fire destroyed a building containing three-bedroom flats in Kangile Village, Ilorin South Local Government Area, on Monday.
