A fire outbreak has destroyed two flats in a residential building in Kwara State after children reportedly played with a cooking gas cylinder while their parents were away.
The incident occurred in Omu-Aran, located in Irepodun Local Government Area, at a building identified as Olayinka House along Ibrahim Taiwo Road.
According to the spokesperson of the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, the fire broke out at about 12:57 p.m. on Monday and affected a storey building containing four three-bedroom flats.
He said the blaze damaged two of the apartments before firefighters arrived and brought the situation under control within about 24 minutes, preventing the fire from spreading to the remaining sections of the building.
Preliminary investigations showed that the incident was caused when children were allegedly playing with a cooking gas cylinder inside the house while no adult was present.
Adekunle explained that when the fire became uncontrollable, the children ran downstairs crying for help, which attracted the attention of a passerby who promptly alerted emergency responders.
He noted that the swift intervention of firefighters helped save the rest of the building from complete destruction.
No deaths or injuries were recorded in the incident.
Reacting to the incident, the Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, Alabi Mohammed, urged parents and guardians to keep children away from gas cylinders, matches and other flammable items.
He also advised residents not to leave minors unattended around cooking appliances and stressed the importance of promptly reporting fire incidents to emergency agencies to minimise damage to lives and property.
