A child’s use of a lighter reportedly caused a fire outbreak in a residential building in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on Thursday, destroying part of a three-bedroom apartment.
The incident occurred around 5:08 p.m. at a residence located on Aduagbemi Street, behind Uniform Company, off Asa Dam Road in the Ilorin metropolis.
The spokesperson for the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, said the fire affected one room in the apartment before emergency responders intervened.
According to him, preliminary findings indicated that the child ignited pieces of paper with a lighter, after which the flames spread to nearby combustible materials, triggering the fire.
Adekunle explained that the fire had intensified before neighbours noticed the situation and alerted the authorities.
He said firefighters responded promptly to the distress call and succeeded in containing the blaze, preventing it from spreading to other sections of the building and neighbouring properties.
“The incident involved a three-bedroom flat, with only one room affected by the fire. Investigations revealed that a child playing with a lighter set pieces of paper ablaze, and the flames later spread to combustible materials nearby,” he said.
The Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, Alabi Muhammed, urged parents and guardians to keep matches, lighters and other ignition sources away from children.
He also stressed the importance of close supervision and educating children on the dangers associated with fire.
Muhammed further advised residents to equip their homes with basic firefighting tools and to promptly report fire outbreaks to emergency responders, noting that early intervention could significantly reduce damage and prevent loss of lives.
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