By Adeola Badru

A fierce fire in the early hours of Wednesday swept through five shops in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, leaving a trail of destruction worth millions.

The inferno erupted beside the Olowo-Ifon shopping complex in the Orita Challenge area of Ibadan, devastating the local business community.

Vanguard learnt that the fire broke out around 2:24 AM.

Confirming the incident, the Chairman, Oyo State Fire Service, Maroof Akinwande, said the fire service received a distress call and swiftly mobilised their team.

Upon arrival, according to him, firefighters were met with shops engulfed in flames.

“The incident was reported at precisely 02:24 hours. Our personnel, under the command of Chief Fire Service, Adesina Olusoji, acted quickly to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby, unaffected shops and the shopping complex.”

“Thanks to their prompt response, firefighters managed to contain the blaze, ultimately extinguishing it and salvaging valuable properties worth millions of naira.”

“However, five out of the eleven affected shops were completely destroyed.”

He said preliminary investigations indicated that the fire was ignited by an electrical surge that ignited nearby combustible materials.

Akinwande emphasised the importance of fire safety, urging the public to remain vigilant and adopt preventive measures to avert future incidents.