Fire Razes Eight Shops in Ibadan

No fewer than eight shops were destroyed in a fire outbreak that engulfed a row of shops at Mobolorunduro, Balaro Street, Oju-Odo Academy area of Ibadan in Ona-Ara Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, prompting a swift response from the Oyo State Fire Services Agency.

The Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Fire Reform and Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Services Agency, Moroof Akinwande, disclosed this in a statement issued in Ibadan.

According to him, the agency received a distress call at about 2:33 a.m. from a resident, Mr Idris, reporting that shops in the area were on fire.

Akinwande said firefighters, led by PFS11 Ojo, immediately mobilised to the scene and succeeded in containing the blaze before it spread to adjoining buildings.

“On arrival, it was discovered that eight out of a row of 11 shops had been severely affected by the fire. The fire was swiftly contained, preventing further spread to the remaining shops and nearby properties,” he said.

He added that no casualty was recorded, while the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The fire chief noted that firefighters returned to their station at about 4:29 a.m. after successfully putting out the blaze.

Akinwande urged residents and business owners to adopt fire safety measures, particularly by installing fire extinguishers in commercial buildings to enable quick response to fire incidents before they escalate.

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The latest incident adds to a series of market and commercial fire outbreaks recorded in Oyo State in recent months.

In September 2025, a fire destroyed 14 shops at Ogundipe Market in Ibadan North Local Government Area, while another blaze razed eight shops near the Sango Police Divisional Headquarters in December of the same year.

An eyewitness, Bukola Ogundeji, said efforts were ongoing to determine the cause of the latest fire incident.

“The incident started around 12:30 a.m., but we are yet to ascertain the root cause of the fire,” she said.