Property worth ₦38.8 million have been destroyed following a fire incident at a paint shop in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital on Saturday.
The fire started at about 12:31 am at a shop loaded with paints, around Balogun Afin, Ita-Kure, in the Ilorin metropolis, News About Nigeria reports.
This was confirmed by the Kwara State Fire Service spokesperson, Hassan Hakeem Adekunle, who said the fire other buildings as well.
He disclosed that two residential buildings which consisted of a storey building and a bungalow, built bedside the shop were destroyed by the fire
However, it was not confirmed if the buildings were occupied as at the time of the fire incident or if there were casualties from the incident.
Adekunle said five other shops in the surrounding area were also affected by the inferno.
State fire service arrived at the scene to put the fire under control and to prevent further escalation of the raging inferno to other buildings.
Residents of the area were said to have called the fire crew late which contributed to further damages.
According to the head of the fire crew who attended to the incident, the chemical nature of the highly flammable materials caused the fire to wreck more damage to the properties destroyed
He therefore urged residents to be mindful of storing flammable materials close to living areas and to quickly call the fire service wherever there is a fire outbreak, rather than resorting to self help.
Fire services across the country have been criticised for their slow and inefficient response to fire emergencies.
