A five-year-old boy sets a house on fire in Ilorin.
A five-year-old boy caused a fire that destroyed part of a duplex building in Ilorin, Kwara State, on Monday while playing with matchsticks. The incident occurred at Abiodun Adebiyi Close, off Yidi Road, in the Irewole area of the city, within Ilorin West Local Government Area.
According to an eyewitness, Lanre Abdulrazaq, who was performing a menial job nearby, the fire started when thick smoke began pouring out of the building. He raised an alarm to alert people in the vicinity of a rescue operation. “We just noticed that thick smoke was oozing out of the building; we raised the alarm to sensitise people around for a rescue operation. We did not know the cause of the fire but later we saw the fire service who arrived and contained the fire,” Abdulrazaq explained.
Before the arrival of the state fire service, one of the rooms in the duplex was destroyed, along with valuable property. The firefighters managed to prevent further damage and saved the building from being entirely consumed by flames.
Hassan Adekunle, the spokesman for the Kwara State Fire Service, confirmed the cause of the fire. He stated that the fire was ignited by the young boy, who was playing with matches and accidentally dropped a lit matchstick onto a combustible material, sparking the blaze. “Preliminary investigations revealed that the fire was caused by a five-year-old boy playing with matches, who inadvertently dropped a lit stick on combustible material, igniting the flames,” Adekunle said.
See Also: COVID-19: Nigeria’s Challenge, Triumph, and Recovery
The Kwara State Fire Service received the distress call at 17:32 hours on February 3, 2025, and dispatched a team to the scene. “Our gallant firefighters sprang into action, arriving swiftly at the scene to find one room in a five-bedroom duplex engulfed in flames,” Adekunle noted. He praised the team’s efforts, saying they contained the fire with skill and precision, preventing it from spreading to other rooms or surrounding buildings.
Prince Falade John, the Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, commended the firefighters for their quick and effective response. He urged the public to prioritise fire safety and reminded parents to keep matches away from children. “A single matchstick could destroy an entire building,” he warned.
Adekunle emphasised the fire service’s ongoing commitment to protecting lives and property, highlighting the team’s professionalism and rapid response.
Content Credit| Agbetan Bisola
Picture Credit | https://www.ilorin.info/
