Fire destroys eight shops in Oyo State

No fewer than eight shops were burned out of 11 at No 2, Mobolorunduro, Balaro Street, Oju-Odo Academy in Ona-Ara Local Government Area of Oyo State on Wednesday.

The Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Fire Reform and the state Chairman of Fire Services Agency, Moroof Akinwande, shared this information in a statement released in Ibadan on Wednesday.

Akinwande said, "Oyo State Fire Services Agency responded to a fire at No 2, Mobolorunduro, Balaro Street, Oju-Odo Academy, Ibadan. At exactly 02:33 hrs on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, we received a call from Mr Idris about the fire at that address."

"The fire personnel led by PFS11 Ojo quickly got to the scene. When they arrived, they found that eight out of a row of 11 shops were badly damaged by the fire. The fire was quickly controlled, stopping it from spreading to the other shops and nearby buildings."

"The cause of the fire is still being investigated. No one was hurt. The fire truck returned to the station safely by 04:29 hrs and remained on standby for operations."

Akinwande urged the public to be aware of fire risks. He stressed the need for fire extinguishers in every commercial building to help prevent fire incidents at the early stages.

The PUNCH reported that a fire in September 2025 destroyed 14 shops at Ogundipe Market in Ibadan North Local Government Area.

In the same Local Government, a serious fire in December 2025 burned down eight shops next to Sango Police Divisional Headquarters, Sango.

An eyewitness named Bukola Ogundeji said, "I am not a shop owner there. I just came for a visit, but the incident started around 12:30 pm. We still don’t know what caused the fire."