Kehinde Fajobi
A fire outbreak at Ita Amodu market on Old Yidi Road in Ilorin, Kwara State, destroyed goods and property worth millions of naira on Tuesday.
The incident devastated traders dealing in mattresses, carpets, gum, and other highly flammable materials.
The Public Relations Officer of the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, said the blaze started from a lorry overloaded with mattresses.
“The fire destroyed the lorry and spread to a nearby building containing 47 rooms and 19 shops,” he disclosed.
Adekunle explained that while 12 shops and 31 rooms were saved, seven shops and 16 rooms were gutted by the fire.
He attributed the incident to a spark caused by the lorry colliding with a high-tension wire.
“The highly flammable nature of the mattresses contributed to the swift spread of the fire. Additionally, the explosion of a nearby step-down transformer intensified the situation, spreading the fire to surrounding shops and rooms,” he added.
He commended the Federal Fire Service, the police, and media organisations for their roles in mitigating the disaster.
“The police provided protection from hoodlums who attempted to disrupt operations, while media houses gave timely notifications and real-time updates,” Adekunle said.