A residential building was gutted by fire in the early hours of Saturday along Winners Road, Ashi area of Ibadan, but no life was lost in the incident.

The Oyo State Fire Services Agency said it received a distress call at about 1:30 a.m. from a resident, Mr Ogunrinde, reporting that a house was on fire at the location.

Firefighters from the agency’s headquarters, led by Chief Fire Superintendent (CFS) Adekola, were immediately deployed to the scene to contain the blaze.

On arrival, the responders discovered that the fire had engulfed an old residential building.

According to the agency, its personnel swiftly swung into action and succeeded in containing the fire, preventing it from spreading to nearby buildings and other valuable properties in the neighbourhood.

Although the building was affected by the inferno, no casualty was recorded, while surrounding structures and properties were successfully saved.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the fire was caused by an unattended cooking gas cylinder which ignited nearby combustible materials, setting the building ablaze.

Reacting to the incident, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Fire Services Reform and Chairman of the agency, Moroof Adebayo Akinwande, cautioned residents of Oyo State against indiscriminate bush and refuse burning, particularly during the current dry season.

He also stressed the importance of installing fire extinguishers in homes and communities, as well as learning their proper usage to curb fire outbreaks at the early stage.

The fire service team later returned to the station at about 3:41 a.m. and resumed operational standby.