Midnight fire destroys property in Ilorin

A midnight fire wiped off property worth millions of naira including a block of rooms around the Odoota area of Ilorin metropolis, Kwara State on Thursday night.

Saturday Tribune gathered that the affected building located along Kilometre 1, Lagos-Ogbomosho bye pass, was used mainly as office and workshop by some artisans.

The affected occupants, who bemoaned their losses, have appealed for help from government and philanthropists to ameliorate their situation.

One of the victims, Alhaji Akindele Moshood, who said he lost one Toyota Hilux Van, Caterpillar spare parts, six generating sets, heavy duty tyres, fridges and other valuables including huge amount of  cash, said that the fire started around 11.00pm long after all of occupants had closed for the day.

Moshood, who is President of Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), Kwara State chapter, said although eyewitness and neighbours helped to call men of the fire brigade in the state, their arrival was much too late to salvage the situation.

When our reporter visited the scene yesterday, officials of the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency, who owned the burnt Hilux Van that was under repair at the workshop, were seen inspecting the premises. They however refused to speak with newsmen on the incident.

Residents and eyewitnesses appealed to the state government to make the fire service more proactive in cases of emergency arguing that if the service had arrived on time the situation might have been saved.

Some of the victims of the incident were observed packing debris of their losses from the site as at the time of filing this report.