An early morning fire on Wednesday gutted five shops located beside the Olowo-Ifon shopping complex in the Orita Challenge area of Ibadan, Oyo State.
The incident was confirmed by the Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Service, Maroof Akinwande, in an official statement.
According to Akinwande, the fire broke out around 2:24 a.m., but firefighters arrived promptly and were able to contain the blaze, preventing it from spreading to other shops and the adjoining shopping complex.
“Our personnel responded swiftly and managed to salvage properties worth millions of naira. However, five out of eleven shops were completely destroyed,” he said.
Preliminary findings indicate that the fire was likely triggered by an electrical surge, which ignited flammable materials in one of the shops.
Akinwande advised residents and business owners to prioritise safety by implementing fire prevention measures to avoid such disasters in the future.