No fewer than eight persons, including seven students of the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, Kwara State, and an Attendant on Saturday, reportedly escaped death in a fire incident at a gas filling near a student hostel, thereby sustaining varying degrees of injury during the incident.
According to Kwara State Fire Service, the fire incident occurred at Destiny Villa, Dola Abimbola Street, Elekoyangan area, close to the main campus of the Polytechnic in the Ilorin East Local Government Area of the state.
The Head of the Department of Media and Publicity of the State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, said that the fire started when a gas attendant at a nearby gas shop was refilling a gas cylinder positioned several meters above the ground level.
“The cylinder fell and exploded, concurrently releasing gas from the charged hose used for refilling. This exacerbated the fire, resulting in injuries to seven Kwara State Polytechnic students and the gas attendant.
“The firemen promptly departed from the station, and upon arrival at the scene, they encountered a building with about 17 self-contained rooms fully ablaze. Four rooms were affected, and eight individuals sustained injuries”.
Adekunle said the total estimated property lost was valued at N14.6 million, while the total estimated property saved was N72.2 million.
However, the Director of Kwara State Fire Service, Prince Falade John, in response to the incident, dispatched his team to check on the affected students on Sunday, November 19, 2023.
The Director, however, urged the members of the public to prioritise safety measures to prevent fire disasters.
