A fire incident on Friday night at Olusola Saraki Market in Ita-Amo, Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State, resulted in the destruction of goods worth millions of naira.
According to the Kwara State Fire Service, the fire consumed clothing materials, provisions, soft drinks, and meat in seven out of the 269 shops within the market.
In a statement issued on Saturday, 11th January, by Hassan Adekunle, the Principal Fire Officer and Head of Media and Publicity for the state Fire Service, the fire was attributed to a power surge caused by fluctuating electricity supply from the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).
The statement detailed: “On Friday, 10 January 2025, at about 21:36 hours, the Kwara State Fire Service received a distress call reporting a fire outbreak at Olusola Saraki Market, Ita-Amo, Ilorin. Our firefighters promptly deployed to the scene and discovered multiple shops ablaze in a market comprising 276 shops. Through swift intervention, professionalism, and expertise, our team successfully contained the inferno, limiting the damage to only seven shops and saving 269 others.
“The affected shops included meat vendors, clothing material shops, and provision stores. Preliminary investigations revealed that the incident might have been caused by a power surge following the fluctuating power supply from the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), as reported by the market’s security personnel.”
Prince Falade John, Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, expressed sympathy to the market leadership, affected shop owners, and the entire market community. He conveyed hope for the traders’ recovery and urged everyone to prioritise fire safety measures to prevent future incidents.
