120 homeless as fire guts 44 rooms in Kwara state

At least 120 persons have been rendered homeless after a fire incident razed 44 rooms of a building and a mosque at Megida Onikanhun Compound, Edun Isale, Ilorin South Local Government Area, Kwara State.

The Head of Department of Media and Publicity of the fire department, Hassan Adekunle, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, Jan. 15, in Ilorin.

He said the Kwara State Fire Service, on 15 January, around 11:08 hours, responded to a fire at Megida Onikanhun Compound, Edun Isale, Ilorin South Local Government Area.

“Fire fighters, upon arrival, found the entire compound and Edun Market engulfed in flames due to a late call.

“To enhance firefighting efforts, part of the fence was dismantled for better access.

“At 11:22 a.m, an SMS message was sent to the Brigade Headquarters for additional manpower, and the proficient firefighters successfully brought the situation under control within an hour before completely extinguishing the fire.

“Investigations revealed that an unknown person set some refuse on fire but this unfortunately spread to the nearby compound,” the statement added.

Mr Adekunle expressed condolences to Magaji Megida Onikanhun’s representative, Kuranga Adebayo.

He commended the fire service’s efforts, but said the incident left over 120 occupants homeless, affecting 44 rooms and a mosque but no casualties were recorded in the 75-room compound.