A fire outbreak in the early hours of Saturday razed six lock-up shops at the Police Barracks, Omolewa, in the Yemetu area of Ibadan, Oyo State.
Although no lives were lost, the incident left six of the 24 shops in the area severely damaged.
Confirming the incident, the General Manager of the Oyo State Fire Services Agency, Mr Yemi Akinyinka, said the agency received a distress call at exactly 2:09 a.m. from one Mr S.O. Soyombo, alerting them to the fire.
According to Akinyinka, the fire was caused by an overheated deep freezer that had been left plugged in overnight.
The appliance eventually caught fire, which rapidly spread to adjacent shops.
“Our team, led by Mrs Adedeji, was promptly deployed to the location. Upon arrival, we discovered the shops engulfed in flames. Swift action was taken to control and contain the fire, preventing it from spreading to nearby shops,” he said.
Akinyinka urged residents and business owners to exercise caution with electrical appliances and advised them to always switch off and unplug devices when not in use to prevent similar incidents.
Authorities said assessments are ongoing to determine the full extent of the damage while shop owners count their losses.
