Three persons were rescued alive as fire outbreaks gutted residential buildings in parts of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Friday.
The incidents occurred at Amosun Compound, Aremo, in Ibadan North East Local Government Area, and Ajibade Street, opposite Guarantee Trust Bank, Mokola, in Ibadan North Local Government Area.
The Oyo State Fire Services attributed the first incident to a power surge following the restoration of electricity.
Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Fire Services Reform, Moroof Akinwande, said the agency received a distress call at about 12:15am on Friday reporting a house on fire at Amosun Compound, Aremo.
He said firemen, led by Chief Fire Superintendent Adekola, responded promptly and were later reinforced with an additional fire truck from the Fire Service Headquarters.
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“On arrival, three bungalow residential buildings were already engulfed by fire. Our officers immediately swung into action and worked tirelessly to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby buildings,” Akinwande said.
He added that three occupants were rescued with minor injuries and were treated at a nearby hospital.
According to him, preliminary investigations showed that the fire was caused by an electrical appliance left plugged in during a power outage, which ignited when electricity was restored.
Akinwande advised residents to always unplug electrical appliances when not in use and to install fire extinguishers at home to curb fires at early stages.
He also urged residents to save the Fire Service emergency numbers — 08067439223, 08054353501 and 615 (toll-free) — stressing that the fire had been burning for hours before the agency was contacted.
In a related development, the Fire Service also extinguished another fire incident at Ajibade Street, Mokola, on Thursday evening.
Akinwande said the second incident was reported at about 7:14pm through a distress call from the Divisional Police Officer of Bodija Estate.
He explained that firefighters led by Chief Fire Superintendent Adekola (Mrs) arrived to find heaps of refuse burning and threatening nearby buildings.
“The firemen promptly put out the fire and prevented it from spreading to surrounding properties. No casualty was recorded, and properties worth millions of naira were saved,” he said.
A crew from the Federal Fire Service also assisted in the operation.
The Fire Service said the refuse was allegedly set ablaze by unknown persons and warned residents against setting refuse or bushes on fire during the dry season to avoid fire disasters.