On the evening of December 13, 2024, a fire broke out at a CAC church in Ibadan during a Christmas carol service, leading to chaos and tragedy.
An Eyewitnesses reported that the fire consumed part of the church while some worshippers were still inside. The incident occurred around 9:30 p.m. at the church on Olohunda Road in the Lagelu Local Government Area of Ibadan.
One witness noted that some congregants had fallen asleep before the night vigil and were caught off guard when the fire erupted. Many had come to the church to prepare for the vigil, intending to stay awake for the service. However, the sudden blaze made escaping extremely difficult.
Tragically, an elderly woman was among the victims. Witnesses explained that her limited mobility made it impossible for her to flee when the fire broke out.
The Oyo State Fire Service confirmed the incident. The agency’s director, Akinyemi Akinyinka, stated that the cause of the fire was still under investigation at the time of the report. He explained that the fire service received a distress call about the incident from an individual named Kunle Junaid.
Mr. Akinyinka assured the public that the fire service would investigate the cause of the fire, assess the extent of the damage, and determine the number of casualties, if any.
Speaking to BBC Yoruba, Mr. Akinyinka recounted that the fire service received the call at approximately 10:10 p.m. Firefighters were dispatched immediately to the scene, where they found the preacher’s house, located next to the church, engulfed in flames.
“When we arrived, we saw the preacher’s house next to the church was already burning. We worked to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to nearby buildings and the church itself, where the Christmas carol service was ongoing,” Mr. Akinyinka explained.
Although the fire caused significant damage to property, estimated to be worth tens of millions of naira, no lives were reported lost during the incident.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the fire may have started in the preacher’s house, where a group of children was reportedly playing with fire during the carol service.
“It is possible that the fire originated in the preacher’s home, where children were playing with fire,” Mr. Akinyinka concluded. Further investigations are ongoing to confirm the exact cause of the fire.
