Eighteen students of Kwara State University, Malete, narrowly escaped tragedy on Wednesday when the commercial bus transporting them to school caught fire while in motion.
The students were en route from Ilorin to Malete for lectures when their 18-seater vehicle, with registration number XUF 134 ZD, suddenly burst into flames along Shao Road, near the Sobi Army Barracks, around 7:54 a.m.
Although the bus was completely consumed by the fire, all passengers survived, thanks to the swift intervention of the Kwara State Fire Service, which quickly responded to a distress call and extinguished the blaze.
In a statement confirming the incident, the Head of Media and Publicity for the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, said preliminary investigations indicated the fire started from a spark in the engine compartment, which quickly spread throughout the vehicle.
“The bus was completely gutted, but thankfully, no lives were lost,” the statement read. “Our firefighters responded promptly, ensuring the safety of the passengers.”
Director of the State Fire Service, Prince John Famuyiwa, expressed sympathy to the vehicle owner and urged motorists to conduct routine checks on their vehicles before hitting the road to help prevent similar incidents.