A fire outbreak has destroyed eight rooms in a commercial building containing about 10 rooms and 20 shops in Alangua Compound, opposite Kulende Market, Sango area of Ilorin, Kwara State.
The incident happened in the early hours of Wednesday, November 11, 2026.
The Kwara State Fire Service said firefighters received a distress call and were immediately deployed to the location at 5:16 a.m. They arrived at the scene at 5:32 a.m.
However, the fire had already spread across a large section of the building before their arrival due to what the service described as delayed notification.
The firefighters immediately began efforts to contain the inferno and successfully brought it under control at 6:10 a.m.
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Although eight rooms were affected, the emergency responders prevented the flames from spreading to neighbouring buildings.
In a statement signed by the service’s Public Relations Officer, Hassan Hakeem Adekunle, preliminary findings indicated that the fire started shortly after electricity was restored to the area.
Residents reportedly noticed smoke coming from one of the rooms shortly before the fire spread.
The room was said to contain large quantities of used rubber slippers and flip-flops gathered by scavengers for recycling.
According to the fire service, the highly combustible materials contributed to the rapid spread of the flames.
The agency, however, said investigations were ongoing to establish the actual cause of the outbreak.
The Chief Fire Officer, CFS Alabi Muhammed, praised the firefighters for their prompt response and professionalism in preventing further destruction.
He warned residents, traders and recycling operators against keeping combustible materials such as rubber, plastics and foam carelessly.
Muhammed advised members of the public to store such materials in properly ventilated areas and keep them away from possible sources of fire.
He also urged residents to report fire incidents immediately, stressing that delays in contacting emergency responders could lead to greater destruction.
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