Two separate fire incidents have destroyed production facilities in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, leaving properties worth millions of naira damaged.
One of the incidents occurred late Friday night at Kunzol Multi-Sector Nigeria Limited, a yam flour and garri production factory located in the Kilanko–Agbonka area of the Ilorin South Local Government.
It was learnt that the fire, which started at about 10:10 p.m., was triggered by heat from a furnace used during production, which later ignited combustible materials in the factory.
Confirming the incident in a statement on Saturday, the Head of Media and Publicity, Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, said the factory’s entire production area was already ablaze before firefighters arrived.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the fire was triggered by remnants of unquenched fire, which ignited combustible materials in close proximity, leading to rapid escalation,” Adekunle said.
He added that firefighters battled the inferno and prevented it from spreading to nearby buildings, thereby averting what could have been a wider industrial disaster.
The Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, Prince Falade John, warned factory operators to ensure proper shutdown of heat sources at the close of work.
“Negligence with fire remnants remains a leading cause of avoidable industrial fires. Business premises must adopt strict fire-safety procedures,” he added.
(Channels)
