A devastating fire outbreak in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, has claimed the lives of three children after petrol stored inside a shop ignited, triggering a fatal explosion.
The incident occurred on Saturday evening at about 6:46pm at No. 1 Popo Street, near Ojere Junction in the Laduba community of the Ogidi area of Ilorin metropolis.
Fire officials said the blaze engulfed part of a storey building housing five rooms and six shops, with three ground-floor shops severely affected.
According to the spokesperson of the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, preliminary investigations revealed that a woman had purchased about 50 litres of petrol and stored it inside a shop where her three children were sleeping.
“Beside the shop, another woman was cooking with charcoal,” Adekunle said. “Sparks from the charcoal fire spread to the area where the petrol was kept, leading to an explosion and a subsequent fire outbreak.”
The inferno claimed the lives of the three children trapped inside the shop. A passer-by who attempted to rescue them sustained injuries and was taken to hospital before firefighters arrived at the scene.
The bodies of the victims were later recovered and handed over to the community chairman, Mr Saadu Abdulrahim.
The deceased children were identified as Abdulraman Jamiu Jeje, aged eight; Islamiya Abdulwahab, aged 17; and Hadizah Abdulazeez Raji, also 17, who was the daughter of the shop owner.
Reacting to the tragedy, the Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, Alabi Muhammed, expressed deep sorrow and described the incident as “heartbreaking and avoidable.” He extended condolences to the families of the victims and the entire Laduba community.
Mr Muhammed issued a strong warning against the storage of inflammable substances such as petrol in homes or shops, particularly near open flames or heat sources.
“Petrol is extremely volatile and can ignite explosively even from minimal heat or sparks,” he said, urging residents to avoid domestic fuel storage and to report unsafe practices to authorities to prevent similar tragedies.
