Fire Razes

  Arson is suspected to be behind a fire outbreak that destroyed a room in a three-bedroom apartment in Iluteju Community, Irewolede area of Ilorin, Kwara State, on Saturday. The fire, which occurred around 1:07pm at C76, Iluteju Community, was quickly contained by personnel of the Kwara State Fire Service, preventing it from spreading to other parts of the building. The agency confirmed this in a statement issued by its Public Relations Officer, Hassan Adekunle, a copy of which was made available to The PUNCH in Ilorin. According to Hassan, the suspicion of arson followed information gathered from sympathisers and community members who were at the scene of the incident. “According to information gathered from sympathisers and members of the community at the scene, the fire was suspected to have been deliberately set,” he said. The spokesperson added that the room affected by the fire was the only one in the building furnished with furniture, while the other rooms had been emptied of their contents. “According to information gathered from sympathisers and members of the community at the scene, the fire was suspected to have been deliberately set,” he said. The spokesperson added that the room affected by the fire was the only one in the building furnished with furniture, while the other rooms had been emptied of their contents. He also said the building had already been disconnected from electricity, ruling out power supply as an immediate source of ignition. Hassan, however, noted that the cause of the fire remained subject to further investigation by the appropriate authorities. “The affected building had already been disconnected from the power supply, further ruling out electricity as an immediate source of ignition, subject to further investigation by the appropriate authorities,” he stated. The Fire Service urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities that could lead to fire outbreaks or endanger lives and property. The Chief Fire Officer, Muhammed Alabi, commended the firefighters for their prompt response and urged residents to continue providing accurate and timely information to the service during emergencies.