Tragedy struck in Ibadan, Oyo State, early Wednesday morning as a fire gutted five shops, destroying goods and equipment worth millions of naira.

The incident occurred beside the Olowo-Ifon shopping complex at Orita Challenge in Ibadan. According to reports, out of the eleven shops affected, five were completely razed while quick intervention helped save the others.

Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Service, Maroof Akinwande, confirmed the incident in a statement. He revealed that the agency received a distress call at exactly 2:24 am and immediately deployed a team led by CFS Adesina Olusoji to the scene.

“On arrival, we met shops engulfed by fire. We quickly swung into action to stop the fire from spreading to nearby shops and the shopping complex. The fire was eventually extinguished, and we also gave fire safety advice to the public on how to prevent such incidents,” Akinwande said.

Preliminary findings indicate that the fire was triggered by an electric surge, which ignited nearby combustible materials and quickly spread through the shops.

Though properties worth millions were lost, the swift response by the Oyo State Fire Service helped to save several other businesses from ruin.

Residents and business owners in the area have been urged to be more vigilant about electrical safety to prevent future occurrences.