Visitor Trapped, Burnt to Death in Friend’s House

A tragic fire incident claimed the life of a 41-year-old man identified as Abdulfatai at Ile Alaparun Isale, Alore, Ilorin, Kwara State, in the early hours of Monday.

Abdulfatai, who was visiting a friend and decided to spend the night, was caught in the blaze that started around 1:00 am. Attempts to escape through a window were unsuccessful, as intense smoke rendered him unconscious. His body was later retrieved after residents broke through the building’s walls.

Eyewitnesses reported that while other occupants, including a couple with their children and another woman, managed to escape, Abdulfatai was trapped. The deceased, who worked as a transport union staffer issuing tickets to motorcycle operators, was said to have been preparing for marriage, having recently introduced his fiancée to his family.

The Kwara State Fire Service confirmed that the building, which housed about 35 rooms, sustained damage in only five. According to the agency’s Public Relations Officer, Hassan Adekunle, preliminary investigations pointed to spontaneous ignition in a room used for storing combustible items such as petrol, batteries, and a tire inflator engine as the cause of the fire.

The Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, Prince Falade John, expressed condolences to the deceased’s family and stressed the importance of safety precautions to prevent such tragedies. Abdulfatai’s remains have been handed over to his family in Ile Alate, Abayawo.