Careless Smoking Sparks Fire, Guts Two Rooms In Oyo Building

A residential building at Olugbile House, Iyalamu area of Oyo town, Oyo State, was gutted by fire in the early hours of Thursday, following a lighted cigarette stub left unattended by one of the occupants.

The incident, which happened around 5:00 a.m., destroyed household items and properties after igniting combustible materials. Two out of the eight rooms in the building were affected, though no life was lost.

Confirming the incident to journalists in Ibadan, the State Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Service, Maroof Akinwande, said firefighters responded swiftly to contain the flames.

“Upon arrival at the scene of the incident, our officers met two rooms out of eight rooms of an ancient residential building on fire. They quickly swung into action, and the fire was subdued and prevented from spreading beyond the two rooms.

“The fire was completely extinguished, the occupants, sympathisers and onlookers were sensitised on fire prevention, particularly the importance of having fire extinguishers at every household in the state.

“The fire incident was a result of a lighted cigarette stub left unattended by one of the occupants and ignited combustible materials, which set the house ablaze. No casualty was recorded; the agency was able to save properties worth millions of naira,” Akinwande said.

He urged residents to promptly report fire outbreaks to emergency lines 08067439223, 08054353501, or 615.

The Oyo State Fire Service has warned that negligence remains a major cause of recurring fire outbreaks across the state, often linked to unsafe smoking habits, improper handling of electrical appliances, and cooking gas.

Since the beginning of 2025, dozens of residential and market fires have been recorded in Oyo State, resulting in losses running into millions of naira.

Authorities have repeatedly advised residents to adopt strict fire safety measures, especially during the dry season, when harmattan winds heighten the risk of flammable materials igniting.

Careless Smoking Sparks Fire, Guts Two Rooms In Oyo Building is first published on The Whistler Newspaper