A fire outbreak caused by an exploding mobile phone battery on Monday night gutted a section of a commercial building at Mokola in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The incident occurred at the popular Tecno Complex near Mokola Roundabout, prompting an emergency response from the Oyo State Fire Services Agency.
The Chairman of the agency, Maroof Akinwande, disclosed in a statement on Tuesday that firefighters were alerted to the incident at about 8:15 p.m. after receiving a distress call from a resident, Oluyomade Adepeju.
According to him, a team of fire officers led by Assistant Chief Fire Superintendent Amoo immediately moved to the scene and found one of the shops on the upper floor of the building engulfed in flames.
Akinwande said the responders acted swiftly to contain the blaze and prevented it from spreading to neighbouring shops and other properties within the commercial complex.
He explained that preliminary findings indicated that the fire started after a mobile phone battery exploded and ignited combustible items stored inside the shop.
"The fire crew responded promptly upon receiving the emergency call and succeeded in bringing the situation under control before it could escalate," he said.
The fire chief noted that no life was lost and no injury was recorded during the incident.
He added that the operation was successfully concluded, with the firefighting team returning to base later in the night.
Akinwande also commended officers of the Nigerian Police Force attached to the Mokola Division for providing security throughout the rescue operation.
He urged residents and business owners to exercise caution when handling electrical and electronic devices, warning that negligence could lead to avoidable fire disasters.
The chairman further advised owners of commercial premises to install functional fire extinguishers and other safety equipment to ensure quick response whenever a fire breaks out.
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