A machine explosion has been identified as the cause of a massive fire that broke out at an industrial facility in Ibadan, Oyo State, destroying property worth millions of naira.
The incident occurred on Sunday at Shril-Balaj Industrial Limited, located in the Olopomeji area of the city. According to eyewitnesses, the fire engulfed the recycling section of the factory, which contained a large stockpile of disused tires.
Confirming the incident, Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Service, Maroof Akinwande, said the agency received the emergency call at 7:07 a.m. on Sunday.
“The fire was triggered by the explosion of a machine in operation, which ignited nearby flammable materials and caused the recycling section to go up in flames,” Akinwande explained.
He added that although the recycling section suffered extensive damage, fire crews were able to prevent the blaze from spreading to other parts of the facility.
This incident is the latest in a series of industrial fires in the state.
In April, at least 12 shops were destroyed by a late-night fire at the Mayegun Cement Store Market, Araromi, Agodi-Gate, also in Ibadan.
That blaze lasted over three hours before firefighters brought it under control.