A five year old boy has reportedly set a duplex building on fire while playing with match sticks in Ilorin, Kwara State.
It was gathered that one of the rooms in the duplex was completely burnt and the property destroyed before men of the state fire service arrived at the scene to rescue the building from complete destruction.
The spokesman for the state fire service, Hassan Adekunle, who confirmed the incident, stated that the fire was caused by a five-year-old boy who was playing with matches which he unknowingly dropped on a combustible material, and that escalated the fire.
Adekunle, a principal fire officer and head of Media and Publicity in the state fire service, in a statement issued on Monday night also disclosed that the firefighters had arrived the scene after receiving a distress call.
He added that the team was able to contain the fire to one room and prevented it from spreading through the whole building.
The statement reads in part, “Preliminary investigations revealed that the fire was caused by a five-year-old boy playing with matches, who inadvertently dropped a lit stick on combustible material, igniting the flames.
“On Monday, 3rd February 2025, at about 17:32 hours, the Kwara State Fire Service received a distress call regarding a fire outbreak at Abiodun Adebiyi Close, Off Yidi Road, Irewolede Area, Ilorin.
“Our gallant firefighters sprang into action, arriving swiftly at the scene to find one room in a five-bedroom duplex engulfed in flames.
“Through sheer expertise and technical precision, the team worked fervently to contain the fire, ensuring it did not spread to other rooms or nearby buildings, and because of their exceptional skill and coordination, only one room was affected.
