Fire destroys eight shops in Oyo State

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

Moroof Akinwande, the Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Fire Reform and the state Chairman of Fire Services Agency, shared this in a statement 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 a shop on fire at the address.”

“The fire personnel led by PFS11 Ojo quickly arrived at the scene. They found that eight out of a row of 11 shops were badly damaged by the fire. The team contained the fire quickly, stopping it from spreading to the remaining shops and nearby properties.”

Akinwande said the cause of the fire is being investigated. He confirmed that there were no casualties. The fire truck returned to the station safely by 04:29 hrs and was on standby for any further emergencies.

He urged everyone to be aware of fire risks. He highlighted the need for every commercial building to have fire extinguishers to help prevent fire incidents early on.

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

In December 2025, another fire destroyed eight shops near Sango Police Divisional Headquarters in the same Local Government Area.

An eyewitness, Bukola Ogundeji, said, “I am not a shop owner there. I only came for a visit, but the incident started around 12:30 pm. We are yet to know what caused the fire.”