A fire broke out early Saturday morning and destroyed six shops at the Police Barracks in Omolewa, Yemetu area of Ibadan, Oyo State.
The Oyo State Fire Service confirmed the incident, saying that no one was injured but six out of 24 lock-up shops were badly affected.
In a statement to journalists, the General Manager of the Fire Service Agency, Mr Yemi Akinyinka, said the fire started at about 2:09 a.m. and was caused by a deep freezer that overheated after being left plugged in overnight.
“We received a distress call from one Mr S.O. Soyombo, and our team was quickly deployed to the scene,” Akinyinka said.
He explained that the freezer caught fire and the flames spread quickly to nearby shops before help arrived.
The fire response team, led by Mrs Adedeji, acted fast to stop the fire from causing more damage.
“On getting there, it was discovered that the lock-up shops were on fire. We quickly swung into action and were able to stop the fire from spreading to other shops,” Akinyinka added.
He used the opportunity to warn residents to always switch off and unplug their electrical appliances when not in use, especially at night.
The incident adds to the growing list of fire outbreaks in Oyo State in recent months, with many blamed on electrical faults and carelessness.
