A fire outbreak in the early hours of Friday, January 3, 2025, ravaged four shops in the Tollgate area along the Lagos/Ibadan expressway, Ibadan, Oyo State.
While property worth millions of naira was destroyed, quick action by the Oyo State Fire Service averted a larger disaster, saving multiple adjoining shops and materials worth billions of naira.
According to Mr. Yemi Akinyinka, General Manager of the Oyo State Fire Service, the fire was reported at 5:50 a.m. and promptly contained. “Four shops were destroyed by fire, but we managed to protect several others from being affected,” Akinyinka said.
He also said investigations traced the cause of the inferno to negligence. “A naked flame, left unattended by a woman cooking in one of the affected shops, is believed to have sparked the blaze.”
While the fire claimed substantial property, no lives were lost, a fact that brought relief to residents and shop owners in the area. The swift response of the fire service has been praised for preventing what could have been a far more devastating incident.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic as the fire engulfed the shops, with many expressing gratitude for the timely intervention of the fire service. “If not for their quick arrival, this entire block of shops could have been lost,” a shop owner remarked.
