An early-morning fire on Sunday gutted a residential building at Tewo-Gbore Street, Ogele Ori-Sunbare in the Eyenkorin area of Asa Local Government Area of Kwara State, destroying parts of the property.
The incident, which reportedly occurred at about 12:38 am, affected a building comprising a room-and-parlour self-contained apartment and a two-bedroom flat.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the spokesperson for the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, firefighters responded swiftly after receiving a distress call from the area.
The statement said the timely intervention of firemen prevented the fire from spreading to nearby structures and limited the extent of the damage recorded during the incident.
It said firefighters swiftly mobilised to the scene and through their timely and coordinated efforts successfully contained the fire and saved an adjoining building from being affected.
Adekunle disclosed that preliminary investigations traced the cause of the fire to improperly quenched charcoal stored within the vicinity of the residential building.
“Findings indicated that sacks of charcoal had just been unloaded, and part of the charcoal was not completely extinguished.
“Upon exposure to air, the residual heat reignited and exacerbated the situation, resulting in the fire spreading to the building,” he stated.
Reacting to the incident, the Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, Alabi Muhammed, warned charcoal dealers, transporters, and residents against careless handling and storage of combustible materials capable of retaining heat.
He further emphasised the need to avoid storing combustible materials close to residential buildings, while urging residents to remain vigilant and promptly report fire outbreaks to emergency responders.