A cooking gas left unattended sparked a fire that engulfed an eight-room residential building in the Agoro Aroko area of Brewery, Alakia, Ibadan, Oyo State, on Thursday.

The Oyo State Fire Services Agency disclosed this in a statement on Friday, saying it received a distress call at about 2:32 p.m. concerning the fire at No. 16, Zone 5, Agoro Aroko.

The agency said its officers, led by an Assistant Chief Fire Superintendent promptly mobilised to the scene and met the residential building engulfed in flames, with thick smoke billowing from the affected structure.

According to the agency, the fire crew immediately commenced firefighting operations and succeeded in extinguishing the fire within a short period.

It said no casualty was recorded in the incident.

The agency attributed the fire to an unattended cooking gas, stressing the need for residents to exercise greater caution when using cooking appliances.

Following the incident, the officer in charge delivered a brief fire-safety lecture to members of the public and urged residents to contact the Fire Service promptly whenever a fire emergency occurred.

The firefighting appliance returned safely to the station at 5:06 p.m. and was placed on standby for further emergency response, the agency added.

The Special Adviser on Fire Reform and Chairman, Oyo State Fire Services Agency, Dr. Moroof Adebayo Akinwande, urged residents to remain vigilant and fire-conscious at all times.

Akinwande also stressed the importance of installing functional fire extinguishers in homes, saying they could help occupants suppress fires at the early stage before they escalated.

He also appealed to members of the public to promptly report fire incidents and provide accurate addresses to enable firefighters to respond swiftly. (Guardian)

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