Two separate fire incidents have razed production facilities in Ilorin, Kwara State, within a span of seven hours, destroying equipment and property worth millions of naira.
The first incident occurred late Friday night at Kunzol Multi-Sector Nigeria Limited, a yam flour and crunchy garri production factory located in the Kilanko–Agbonka area of Ilorin South Local Government. The fire erupted at about 10:10 pm, reportedly triggered by heat remnants from a production furnace that ignited nearby combustible materials.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Head of Media and Publicity for the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Hakeem Adekunle, said firefighters arrived to find the entire production area engulfed in flames.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the fire was triggered by remnants of unquenched fire, which ignited combustible materials in proximity, leading to rapid escalation,” he said.
Firefighters were able to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to adjacent properties, averting what officials described as a potentially larger industrial disaster.
The Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, Prince Falade John, cautioned factory operators to strictly adhere to shutdown procedures.
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“Negligence with fire remnants remains a leading cause of avoidable industrial fires. Business premises must adopt strict fire-safety procedures,” he warned.
In a separate incident just hours later, an early-morning fire on Saturday gutted Unik AJ Prints, a printing facility along Opomalu Road in Ilorin East Local Government. The fire, which broke out around 3:15 am, destroyed sections of a storey building that housed two large halls, production materials, inverter units, and printing equipment.
According to Adekunle, firefighters responded swiftly despite the challenging hour, preventing the flames from spreading across the densely built area.
Preliminary findings indicated that the fire was likely caused by a spark from the facility’s inverter system, which ignited nearby flammable materials.
Prince Falade advised businesses using solar and inverter systems to install them in isolated, fire-protected zones and adopt fire-retardant materials.
The Kwara State Fire Service reaffirmed its commitment to protecting lives and property through rapid emergency response and continuous fire safety education across the state.
