Firefighters battle late-night blaze in Oyo State capital; no casualties reported as officials blame unattended mosquito coil for the incident.
A late-night fire has destroyed properties worth millions of naira in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, leaving significant damage to a residential building but causing no loss of life, officials said on Saturday October 25, 2025.
The incident occurred on the night of Friday October 24,2025, at Hazmat Street, Kuola, off Akala Expressway, where flames engulfed the upper floor of a duplex and adjoining two-bedroom flats. Witnesses said residents watched helplessly as firefighters battled the blaze into the night.
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Service, Hon. Maroof Akinwande, said officers responded swiftly to distress calls and worked alongside teams from the Federal Fire Service and Sweetco Fire Service to contain the fire.
“Upon arrival, it was the upper floor of a duplex residential building with adjoining two-bedroom flats engulfed by fire,” Akinwande said in a statement. “Our officers quickly swung into action, subdued and restricted the fire from spreading to the ground floor and nearby buildings.”
He commended the efforts of police officers from the Kuola Division, who provided security for the firefighting teams during the operation. Their presence, he added, helped maintain order and allowed firefighters to focus on extinguishing the flames.
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No casualties were reported, and the blaze was eventually brought under control before it could spread further. However, the damage to the property was described as extensive, with losses estimated in the millions of naira.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the fire was caused by an unattended lighted mosquito coil, which ignited nearby combustible materials and spread rapidly through the upper floor of the building.
Residents of the area have since been advised to exercise greater caution with household fire sources, particularly during the dry season when such incidents are more frequent.
Fire officials also reiterated their call for residents to install smoke detectors and ensure access to emergency numbers for quicker response during future emergencies.
While cleanup and recovery efforts continued through the morning of Saturday October 25, 2026, authorities praised the coordinated response that prevented what could have been a far more devastating tragedy in Ibadan’s Kuola community.