Fallen 33kV power line sparks fire in Ilorin, newborn family rescued
- A concrete pole holding a 33kV line collapsed in Oloje Phase 2, Ilorin, sparking a fire early Tuesday.
- A couple and their newborn were rescued by neighbours from their badly damaged self-contained apartment.
- Three buildings, a vulcanising workshop, a travel office and one vehicle were damaged; the fire service blames late reporting for a separate Monday blaze.
A couple and their newborn baby narrowly escaped death after a fire tore through their home and nearby buildings on Lawyer Lambo Street, Oloje Phase 2, Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State, in the early hours of Tuesday.
The Kwara State Fire Service said it received a distress call and reached the scene at 2:41am. Neighbours rescued the family from their room-and-parlour self-contained apartment, which the service said was severely affected.
According to the fire service's spokesperson, Hassan Adekunle, preliminary findings showed the blaze started when a concrete pole carrying a 33kV transmission line collapsed. The fallen line landed on a parked vehicle and a spark reportedly set its tyre alight, and the fire spread quickly.
What was lost
Two buildings made up of four-bedroom flats were also affected. In one, three vehicles were parked; one was completely burnt while firefighters saved the other two. The kitchen of the second flat was damaged, along with a freezer and other appliances, and its solar power system was hit.
An adjoining travel and tours office lost its solar system, four tubular batteries and other appliances. A vulcanising workshop nearby was completely destroyed after the fallen line came down on it.
Because the live line posed a danger to the crew, the fire service said it called the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) control room and asked for the feeder serving the area to be switched off before firefighters moved in.
The Chief Fire Officer, Alabi Muhammed, sympathised with the residents and business owners over their losses. He urged people not to build under high-tension lines and to keep the required safety setbacks from electricity infrastructure. He also asked residents to report fallen poles and exposed wires at once, and never to touch fallen cables or anything in contact with them.
A second fire in two days
The Oloje fire came less than 24 hours after another blaze destroyed a building of three-bedroom flats in Kangile Village, Ilorin South Local Government Area, on Monday.
In that incident, the fire service said it was alerted late and arrived at 8:09am to find the building already engulfed. The cause is still being investigated, the service said.
For residents, the two incidents point to the same lesson: early calls save property. The fire service said prompt reporting gives crews a chance to contain a blaze before it spreads to homes, shops and vehicles.
What happens next: The fire service says investigations are ongoing into the Kangile fire. Residents with damaged or leaning poles and exposed wires in their area are advised to report them to the authorities rather than attempt repairs themselves.