A fire outbreak has destroyed properties worth millions of naira at a residential building occupied by missionaries in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The incident happened in the early hours of Saturday at Aribisala Street, within the UMC Church area of Oke-Ado, Ibadan.
Sources said the fire affected the upper floor of the building, causing serious damage before emergency responders arrived at the scene.
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Service, Maroof Akinwande, said no life was lost in the fire.
He said, “Upon arrival, it was the upper floor of a residential building of missionaries that was engulfed by fire. Our officers quickly swung into action and curtailed the fire from spreading to the ground floor of the building.”
Akinwande explained that the fire was caused by carelessness, adding that the situation could have been worse if firefighters had not acted promptly.
“No casualty was recorded, and the fire incident was as a result of lighted candles that were left unattended, which ignited nearby combustibles and set the building ablaze,” he said.
The incident comes just days after another fire outbreak claimed one life in Ibadan. On Monday, a woman was confirmed dead in a fire incident at Agbaakin Street, behind Testing Ground, Iwo Road.
Speaking on that earlier incident, Akinwande said the fire was caused by an unattended charcoal cooking pot.
He said, “The fire was as a result of a lighted charcoal cooking pot left unattended, which ignited nearby flammable materials.”
According to him, the emergency call was received at about 8:18 pm on Monday, December 8, 2025, and firefighters responded immediately.
“On getting there, there were two rooms on the upper floor of a private residential building of 12 rooms engulfed by fire. One person, a female, was recovered, while two males were rescued alive,” he said.
Akinwande added that only two rooms were affected in that incident, while the rest of the building and other properties worth millions of naira were saved with support from officers of the Federal Fire Service.
He advised residents to always avoid leaving fire sources unattended, warning that such negligence often leads to avoidable loss of lives and property.
