A five-year-old boy accidentally set a duplex on fire while playing with matches in Ilorin, Kwara State, on Monday.
The fire broke out at Abiodun Adebiyi Close, off Yidi Road, Irewolede area in Ilorin West Local Government Area.
One of the rooms in the duplex was completely destroyed before firefighters arrived to stop the fire from spreading.
An eyewitness, Lanre Abdulrazaq, who was working nearby, said, “We just noticed thick smoke coming out of the building. We raised the alarm to alert people and try to help. We did not know what caused the fire until the fire service arrived and contained it.”
The spokesman for the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, confirmed the incident, explaining that the fire started when the child unknowingly dropped a lit match on a flammable material.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the fire was caused by a five-year-old boy playing with matches. He dropped a lit matchstick on a combustible material, which ignited the flames,” Adekunle said in a statement.
According to him, the fire service received a distress call at around 5:32 PM and quickly responded. “Our firefighters arrived swiftly and found one room in the five-bedroom duplex engulfed in flames. With skill and teamwork, they contained the fire and prevented it from spreading to other rooms or nearby buildings. Thanks to their quick response, only one room was affected.”
The Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, Prince Falade John, praised the firefighters for their swift and effective response. He also urged parents to keep matches away from children.
“A single matchstick can destroy an entire building. Parents should be extra careful and ensure children do not have access to fire-starting materials,” he warned.
Adekunle reassured the public that the Kwara State Fire Service remains committed to protecting lives and property through professionalism and quick emergency response.
