1 hour ago
2
A 52-year old man has died in a late night fire disaster which occurred on Thursday at Lafia Hotel, Coca-Cola road in Ilorin, Kwara State.
The fire outbreak affected a facility used for short-let purposes.
The incident, according to the spokesman of the state fire service, Hassan Adekunle, involved a building comprising two flats with three bedrooms each, all of which were affected by the fire.
“The entire building was heavily engulfed in smoke, making escape extremely difficult for occupants.
“Tragically, one life was lost in the incident an unidentified male, estimated to be about 52 years of age,” he stated.
Adekunle, disclosed that “Preliminary investigation revealed that the fire was attributed to a power surge, as the outbreak reportedly occurred immediately after power supply was restored, leading to rapid fire spread across the building.”
Firefighters, he added, arrived promptly and brought the fire under control at about 23:51hrs.
The spokesman said three fire appliances were deployed to mitigate the magnitude of the inferno, with support from the Federal Fire Service, whose personnel were also present at the scene.
Director of the state fire service, Alabi Muhammed, expressed deep concern over the loss of life and advised property owners, especially operators of short-let apartments, to ensure proper electrical installations, use quality surge protectors, and conduct routine electrical safety inspections.
He further urged the installation of smoke detectors, emergency lighting, and fixed firefighting systems to aid early detection and evacuation, noting that smoke inhalation remains a major cause of fatalities during fires.
