A devastating fire has razed a six-room residential bungalow at Block D5, Ifedapo Estate, in the Amuloko area of Ibadan, destroying property valued at several millions of naira.
The Oyo State Fire Services Agency confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Saturday by its chairman, Maroof Akinwande.
According to Akinwande, the agency received a distress call at exactly 2:53 p.m. on Friday from a resident identified as Odetunde. Firefighters, led by Assistant Chief Fire Superintendent (ACFS) Amoo, were immediately mobilised to the scene.
“On arrival, our officers discovered that a six-room bungalow was fully engulfed in flames. They promptly swung into action and successfully prevented the fire from spreading to neighbouring buildings,” Akinwande said.
He explained that no casualties were recorded in the incident, attributing the outbreak to a domestic gas cylinder that was left unattended and subsequently exploded, causing the fire to spread rapidly through the building.
“Although lives were spared, properties worth millions of naira were lost to the inferno,” he added.
The fire service boss appealed to residents to exercise greater caution in the handling of gas cylinders and other flammable materials, stressing the importance of vigilance in preventing avoidable disasters.
He also urged members of the public to promptly alert the fire service during emergencies and always provide clear and accurate addresses to enable swift response.
Akinwande, who also serves as Special Adviser on Fire Reform to Governor Seyi Makinde, disclosed that the state recorded about 246 fire incidents in 2025 alone.
According to him, rescue operations carried out during the year led to the saving of 42 lives, while 30 bodies were recovered from various emergency scenes across Oyo State.
Providing a monthly breakdown of fire incidents in 2025, Akinwande said 29 cases were recorded in January, 27 in February, 22 in March, 24 in April, 24 in May, 17 in June, 15 in July, 14 in August, 24 in September, 13 in October, 13 in November, and 21 in December.