A fire outbreak on Saturday night ravaged a mechanic workshop on Togunde Street, Akingbade Area, along Old Ife Road, Gbagi, Ibadan, destroying four vehicles and a container. The Oyo State Fire Services Agency received a distress call at about 9:16 p.m., prompting an immediate response from firefighters.
According to the agency, a team of fire personnel led by a Chief Fire Superintendent (CFS) was swiftly deployed to the scene to contain the inferno. On arrival, firefighters discovered that a container and four vehicles within the mechanic workshop had already been engulfed in flames, with thick smoke billowing from the property. The agency said its personnel successfully contained the fire and prevented it from spreading to nearby buildings and other properties in the area.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the fire was caused by sparks from a vehicle’s engine compartment, which ignited combustible materials within the workshop. The firefighting operation was jointly carried out by personnel of the Oyo State Fire Services Agency and the Federal Fire Service, Ibadan Command.
Confirming the incident, the Special Adviser on Fire Reform and Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Services Agency, Dr Moroof Akinwande, urged residents to be more conscious of fire safety at all times. He stressed the importance of installing fire extinguishers in workshops, commercial premises and vehicles to enable prompt response to fire outbreaks before they escalate. Akinwande also appealed to members of the public to promptly report fire incidents and provide accurate addresses to facilitate quick emergency response.
Meanwhile, an electrical surge caused a fire outbreak that gutted a shop in the Stadium Area of Ogbomoso in the early hours of Sunday. The Oyo State Fire Services Agency disclosed that it received a distress call at about 4:39 a.m. reporting a fire incident at No. 5, Ile Atagbonrin, Stadium Area, Ogbomoso. The incident was reported via a telephone call by one Hon. George Gbadegesin, prompting an immediate response from firefighters attached to the Ogbomoso Zonal Command.
A team of fire service officers was swiftly mobilised to the scene to combat the blaze. On arrival, the firefighters discovered that a prefabricated shop adjoining a six-room residential building had been engulfed by fire. The crew immediately commenced firefighting operations and successfully extinguished the blaze within minutes, preventing it from spreading to the nearby residential building and adjoining structures. The agency said no casualty was recorded during the incident.
Preliminary investigations traced the cause of the fire to an electrical surge originating from a refrigerator that had been left plugged into a power source. The Special Adviser on Fire Services Reform and Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Services Agency, Dr Moroof Adebayo Akinwande, urged residents to be more conscious of fire safety and adopt preventive measures in their homes and business premises. He stressed the importance of installing fire extinguishers in residential buildings and shops to enable prompt response to fire outbreaks before they escalate into major disasters. Akinwande also urged the public to promptly report fire incidents, provide accurate addresses and make use of the agency’s emergency lines to facilitate swift intervention during emergencies.
