Massive losses were recorded on Monday, May 19, 2025, as a raging fire gutted a residential compound in the Towobowo Anko area of Eruwa, Ibarapa East Local Government Area, Oyo State. The blaze, which broke out around 2:00 a.m., destroyed a six-room apartment and an attached boys’ quarters, reducing the structure to rubble before firefighters arrived.
Eyewitnesses reported that the fire had already consumed a significant portion of the property by the time residents raised alarm. Due to the time of the incident, most occupants were asleep and were only alerted by the intensity of the flames and cries for help. Some were able to escape with minor injuries, but others lost all their belongings in the inferno.
The Oyo State Fire Service confirmed receiving a distress call at exactly 03:08 a.m. According to the agency’s chairman, Maroof Akinwande, firefighters led by Assistant Chief Fire Superintendent Adegoke arrived swiftly but faced challenges due to the delayed alert. “We met the entire building well alight. Unfortunately, the fire had been burning for over an hour before we were called,” he said.
Although no fatalities were recorded, properties estimated to be worth several millions of naira were consumed. Items destroyed include household appliances, furniture, vital documents, and personal effects of multiple families. The incident has left affected residents homeless and in urgent need of relief support.
Emergency teams were able to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to adjacent buildings, a move that residents say averted an even bigger catastrophe. Some neighbors assisted with buckets of water before the fire service intervened, but their efforts were largely overwhelmed by the intensity of the blaze.
Fire officials suspect that an electrical surge may have sparked the incident, though a detailed investigation is underway. Authorities are urging residents to observe safety measures around electricity, especially during dry seasons, and to always alert emergency services without delay during fire outbreaks.
Community leaders and humanitarian groups are calling on the Oyo State Government to provide immediate relief to the displaced families. Many residents have also renewed calls for better fire awareness campaigns and quicker emergency response systems across rural and semi-urban parts of the state.
