Kwara Late-Night Fire Destroys Three Containerised Shops at Eyenkorin

A fire outbreak late on Wednesday destroyed three containerised shops at Eyenkorin Roundabout in the Apata area of Asa Local Government Area, Kwara State, after what officials said was a power surge when electricity was restored.

The Kwara State Fire Service said it received an emergency call at about 11:57 p.m. and moved firefighters to the scene. In a statement released on Thursday, the agency’s spokesperson, PFO Hassan Adekunle, said six containerised shops were involved in the incident, while three were directly affected by the flames.

He said early findings showed that the blaze started shortly after power returned to the area and ignited combustible materials around the shops. According to him, officers worked through the night and brought the situation under control at about 12:20 a.m., preventing the fire from spreading to the remaining shops and nearby property.

The fire service said the rapid response helped limit wider losses in the busy Eyenkorin corridor, where traders and transport users are active deep into the night. Shop owners in the affected units, however, were left to assess damage to goods and business equipment after the incident.

Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, CFS Alabi Muhammed, urged business owners and residents to pay closer attention to electrical safety. He advised traders to use proper wiring and quality electrical materials, switch off appliances when not in use, and keep portable extinguishers for quick response to minor fire outbreaks.

The latest incident follows other fire emergencies recorded in the state in recent months. On 27 February, a 52-year-old man died in a late-night fire that razed a short-let apartment building on Coca-Cola Road in Ilorin.

Emergency responders said many of the recent fires have been linked to electrical faults and sudden power surges, and they appealed to residents and business operators to adopt preventive measures before another avoidable loss occurs.

Authorities said routine checks on wiring and load management can help traders avoid repeat incidents in densely built commercial clusters.